MSBTE UNIT-III

1. Non-renewable Energy Resources
UNIT-II

3. Energy resources can be classified into two groups.
Renewable energy resources can be
replaced or regenerated and will never run
out (at least not for a very long time).
Non-renewable energy
resources will eventually run out
– once used they cannot be used
again.
Non-renewableRenewable
What do renewable and non-renewable mean?
Examples: wind and solar. Examples: coal and oil.

4. How many different energy resources are part of this scene?
Spot the energy resources

6.  Non-renewable energy comes from sources that
will run out or will not be replenished for
thousands or even millions of years.
 Most non-renewable energy sources are fossil
fuels: coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
 Carbon is the main element in fossil fuels. For this
reason, the time period that fossil fuels formed
(about 360-300 million years ago) is called the
Carboniferous Period.

7. What are fossil fuels?
Industrial societies need a lot of energy and,
at the moment, rely on fossil fuels as the main
source of this energy.
Fossil fuels are so useful because they contain stored chemical energy, which
is converted into large amounts of useful heat energy when the fuels are
burned.
they are classed as non-renewable energy resources.
Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. They
are carbon-based materials that formed over
millions of years from the remains of ancient
plants and animals.
The total amount of fossil fuels available is limited and so

8. The fuel is burned and the heat produced
is used to boil water. This creates high-
pressure, superheated steam, which is
then used to turn a turbine.
How do fossil fuels produce electricity?
The turbine turns a generator and so
generates electricity.
Power stations that are fuelled by coal and oil, operate on the same basic
principle.
The cooling towers cool the steam, which condenses as water and can then
be recycled in the power station.
directly to turn the turbine.
Natural-gas-fired power stations do not use steam. The natural gas is burnt
and the hot gases produced are used

9. What happens in a coal/oil power station?

10. Energy changes in a coal/oil power station

11.  Carbon dioxide – This greenhouse gas is the
main waste product of burning fossil fuels.
Increased levels of carbon dioxide due to human
activities are thought to be connected with global
warming.
What waste do fossil fuels produce?
Burning fossil fuels creates waste products that can
act as pollutants and have harmful environmental
effects.
 Sulphur dioxide and nitric oxides – These gaseous pollutants contribute to
the formation of smog and acid rain.
What can be done to reduce the problems caused by
burning fossil fuels?
 Ash – This waste solid is disposed of in landfill sites.

12. Nuclear fuel is used to generate electricity
but, unlike fossil fuels, it does not burn.
What is nuclear fuel?
In a nuclear power station, the heat released from nuclear fission reactions is
used to change water into steam. As in other types of power station, the steam
then turns a turbine, which turns a generator and produces electricity.
such as carbon dioxide or gases which cause acid rain.
In a nuclear fuel, such as uranium,
reactions take place that split the atoms
and release huge amounts of heat energy.
This is called nuclear fission.
Nuclear power stations do not release any greenhouse gases

13. What happens in nuclear power station?

14.  It also contains plutonium, which is a
highly-radioactive product of the fission
reactions that occur in uranium nuclear
fuel.
What waste does nuclear power produce?
 However, plutonium is also used in the construction of nuclear bombs
and poses a very serious threat if it gets into the wrong hands.
 Nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste.
 The used nuclear fuel contains some uranium,
which can be separated from the waste and
reused.
 New reactors that use this waste product as
a fuel have been built.

15.  Nuclear waste that cannot be reused poses serious problems as it can remain
radioactive for thousands of years.
Where can nuclear waste be stored?
 Highly radioactive waste can be turned
into glass to help stabilize it and
prevent leaks during storage.
 Another suggested solution is to dump radioactive waste at the bottom of
the sea. Dealing with nuclear waste is
 expensive and any solution has to be long term.
One solution is to bury the waste deep
underground.
This must be in a geologically stable
environment, so there are few suitable
sites.

16. How quickly can electricity be produced?
The demand for electricity varies depending on the time of day and time of year.
Power stations have to cope with this.
Nuclear power stations take about two days to reach full power. They are only
shut down for maintenance.
Power stations cannot be turned on at
the flick of a switch. These are typical
start-up times for power stations that
use non-renewable energy resources. 1 hour
4 hours
7 hours
natural gas
oil
coal
nuclear power 48 hours
Type of fuel Start-up time
Which type of power is useful when extra power is needed
for a short time?
Natural gas power stations produce
electricity quickly.

17. Non-renewable energy resources will eventually run out.
Scientists think that natural
gas reserves will only last
another 25-30 years.
How long can non-renewable energy last?
25-30 years
about 75 years
about 300 years
natural gas
oil
coal
nuclear power thousands of years
Type of fuel Time until reserves
run out
Even though nuclear fuel will last thousands of years, there is still a limited
supply and so it will eventually run out.
energy resource.
It is difficult to be exact as
new gas fields are still
being discovered.
This is why nuclear power is classed as a non-renewable

18. What are the advantages and disadvantages of burning fossil fuels in power
stations to generate electricity?
Fossil fuels: what are the pros and cons?
non-renewable
acid rain
greenhouse effect
readily available
easily transported
low fuel cost
low building costs
short start-up times
inefficient
Advantages
of fossil fuels
Disadvantages
of fossil fuels

19.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear power to
generate electricity?
links with cancer
Nuclear power: what are the pros and cons?
expensive to build
non-renewable
produces radioactive waste
 cheaper to run once built
 conserves fossil fuels
 no sulfur dioxide emissions
 no carbon dioxide emissions
safe under normal conditions
expensive to decommission
small amount of fuel used
so less transport needed risk of disaster
 Advantages
 of nuclear power
 Disadvantages
 of nuclear power

20. Glossary (1/2)
 acid rain – Rainwater that is more acidic than normal due to the release of
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.
 fossil fuels – Carbon-based fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, that are
formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient plants and animals.
 generator – A device used in power stations, which transforms kinetic
energy into electrical energy.
 global warming – The increase in the temperature of the Earth, which
some scientists think is causing climate change.
 greenhouse effect – The trapping of heat from the Sun
by certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
 greenhouse gas– A gas, such as carbon dioxide, that can trap heat from
the Sun in the Earth’s atmosphere.

21.  nuclear fission – The splitting of an atomic nucleus, which releases large
amounts of energy. In nuclear power stations, this process provides the heat used
in generating electricity.
 nuclear fuel – Material, usually uranium, that undergoes nuclear fission and
is the source of heat in nuclear power stations.
 non-renewable – An energy resource that cannot be replaced or used
again and so will eventually run out.
 renewable – An energy source that can be replaced or regenerated and so
will not run out.
 turbine – A device used in power stations, which is turned by the force of
moving steam. It is connected by a shaft to a generator to produce electricity.
Glossary (2/2)