Reference no: EM133194167 , Length: Word count: 2 Pages
Assignment Description:
Paragraph 1 - Everyone: Outline the general procedure of producing energy. Describe the specific environmental and economic reasons why someone would seek alternatives to fossil fuels.
Paragraph 2 - By Assigned Group: Describe how your renewable source of energy, described in the 3rd video, works. (Your group is assigned by the first letter of your last name: A-C Wind, D-J Solar, M-R Hydro, S-Z Geothermal)
Paragraph 3 - Describe the challenges facing the SAME renewable source of energy that you described in paragraph 2.
Paragraph 4 - Based on the available power sources in FL, describe the ideal energy grid for someone that lives here in Lee County. Include where the energy sources that are available here come from, how the energy is transmitted to the location of use, and the potential environmental impact. (Hint: You are not confined to using a single source of power, power sources can be combined together to reach 100% annual usage.)
The three main energy sources we use are Fossils Fuels, Nuclear, and Renewable. However fossil fuels or nonrenewable resources make up the highest amount, 80%. The three main fossil fuels used are coal, oil, and natural gas. Coal is produced from ferns, plants, and tree from before the time of dinosaurs covered by swamps are unable to decompose. Adding Pressure and heat turns them into coal, a combustible rock made of carbon. Despite it being a rich energy source, they are nonrenewable, which means they are being used faster than they can be reproduced. They also have the highest level of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions which is terrible for the environment. They put animals, humans, and plant life at risk with health issues. And other resources, like oil are difficult to extract as well as expensive because of the geopolitical issues that arise. They are not available everywhere, and cost money to transport.
Solar power has the most potential as a renewable resource because the sun shines almost everywhere in the world, and they don't require a lot of transportation where energy can be lost. Solar Power uses pv cells (solar panels) to absorb the sunlight and convert into energy. The materials uses encourage an electrical current to flow when they receive the sunlight, which then travels through the circuit delivering power to whatever's connected to the pv cell.
However, the engineering and power it takes to create the pv cells is alarming. Quartz is currently used to make solar panels, and a lot of energy is needed to create them. Processing quartz produces tetrachloride which can be very dangerous to the soil if spilled. The cost is a challenge as well, solar panels are expensive to produce, 3-6 times more expense than fossil fuels. There are also issues for how to conserve energy when there is a lack of sun, or a high demand at the same time.
"Florida is the second-largest producer of electricity in the nation, after Texas.20 In 2019, natural gas fueled three-fourths of Florida's net generation, and 7 of the state's 10 largest power plants by capacity and by generation are natural gas-fired. (United States Energy Information and Administration) Biomass and solar energy fuel on 4% of Florida's renewable resources, with the rest being fossil fuels. However, our state is the second highest energy consuming state in the Nation. I would hope in the future when there is more research and development done by engineers there will be more easily accessible and cost-effective ways for not only businesses but citizens to use solar energy as their primary energy source.