2011-12NotesCh20ConventionalAlternatives

This lecture will help you understand: Reasons for seeking alternative fuels Contributions to world energy by alternative fuels Nuclear energy The social debate over nuclear energy Biomass energy Hydroelectric power Central Case: Sweden’s search for alternative energy In 1980, Sweden’s electorate voted to phase out nuclear energy, but it’s been difficult The government has promoted the development of hydroelectric, biomass, and wind power Sweden is an international leader in renewable energy alternatives, but it still relies on nuclear power Alternatives to Fossil Fuels 80% of our energy comes from oil, coal, and natural gas These three fuels also power two-thirds of the world’s electricity generation Given fossil fuel’s substantial drawbacks, many people believe we need to shift to using less easily depleted and environmentally gentler fuels Conventional alternatives Three alternative energy sources are currently the most developed and most widely used: nuclear energy, hydroelectric power, and energy from biomass These are all “conventional alternatives” to fossil fuels They exert less environmental impact Each has benefits and drawbacks These are best viewed as intermediates along a continuum of renewability Conventional alternatives provide energy Fuelwood and other biomass sources provide 10% of the world’s energy, nuclear power provides 6.3%, and hydropower provides 2.2% Nuclear energy and hydropower each account for nearly one-sixth of the world’s electricity generation The U.S. relies on fossil fuels The U.S. relies more on fossil fuels and nuclear power than other countries Conventional alternatives play minor, yet substantial roles, in energy use The use of conventional alternatives has been growing more slowly than fossil fuels Nuclear Power Public safety concerns and the costs of addressing them have constrained the development and spread of nuclear power in the United States, Sweden, and many other nations 20% of U.S. electricity comes from nuclear sources France receives 78% of its electricity from nuclear power Fission releases nuclear energy Nuclear energy = the energy that holds together protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom The reaction that drives the release of nuclear energy in power plants is nuclear fission = the splitting apart of atomic nuclei Nuclear energy comes from uranium Nuclear reactors = facilities within nuclear power plants Nuclear fuel cycle = the process when naturally occurring uranium is mined from underground deposits Radioisotopes = emit subatomic particles and high-energy radiation as they decay into lighter radioisotopes, ultimately becoming stable isotopes Most spent fuel is disposed of as radioactive waste Fission in reactors generates electricity For fission to begin in a nuclear reactor, the neutrons bombarding uranium are slowed down with a substance called a moderator Control rods = made of a metallic alloy that absorbs neutrons, and are placed into the reactor among the water-bathed fuel rods Containment buildings are constructed to prevent leaks of radioactivity due to accidents or natural catastrophes such as earthquakes A typical light water reactor Natural Uranium must be Enriched Breeder reactors make better use of fuel Breeder reactors make use of U-238, which in conventional fission goes unused as a waste product Breeder reactors are more dangerous than conventional reactors because highly reactive liquid sodium is used as a coolant, raising the risk of explosive accidents They also are more expensive than conventional reactors Highly reactive sodium, instead of water, is used as a coolant, raising the risk of explosive accidents All but a handful of the world’s breeder reactors have now been shut down Breeder Reaction Fusion remains a dream Nuclear fusion = the process that drives our Sun’s vast output of energy The force behind hydrogen (thermonuclear) bombs Involves forcing together the small nuclei of lightweight elements under extremely high temperature and pressure If we could control fusion, we could produce vast amounts of energy from water Nuclear power delivers energy cleanly Nuclear power helps us avoid emitting 600 million metric tons of carbon each year Equivalent to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions Nuclear power plants are safer for workers than coal-fired plants Drawbacks of nuclear power: Nuclear waste is radioactive If an accident occurs at a power plant, the consequences can potentially be catastrophic Today, the world has 436 operating nuclear plants in 30 nations Coal versus nuclear power More people die mining coal each year than have died in Nuclear power plant accidents in the entire history of Nuclear power. The Bhopal chemical plant disaster killed more people than all the nuclear power incidents in history combined. This plant manufactured pesticides. Nuclear power is not completely risk free, but it's much safer than most people give it credit for. Anyone who would picket a nuclear power plant before a coal plant or a pesticide plant is an uninformed twit. Nuclear power also promises to get much safer. China is currently testing thorium reactors based on Canada's CANDU design. Thorium reactors have several safety advantages over Uranium reactors, produce less waste with a shorter half-life, and do not produce weapons-grade fissionable materials as a byproduct. Thorium is far more abundant than Uranium to boot. If Iran went after Thorium based nuclear power Israel would be able to sleep more easily at night That statistic would be even more violently pro-nuclear -- you need to dig up roughly 20 000 times more coal than uranium to produce the similar amounts of energy, assuming a steam thermal coal plant and a light-water nuclear reactor. If you swap that light-water plant to an advanced heavy water plant like CANDU, that multiplier goes up to about 2 000 000 times. A fun fact: the extractable amount of energy in the trace radioactive elements (notably thorium) that is dug up with coal (and mostly distributed into the environment) is several times higher than the extractable energy content of the coal. Nuclear power poses small risks Nuclear power poses the possibility of catastrophic accidents Spawning public anxiety over nuclear power Three Mile Island was the most serious accident in the U.S. Meltdown at Three Mile Island Meltdown = coolant water drained from the reactor vessel, temperatures rose inside the reactor core, and metal surrounding the uranium fuel rods began to melt, releasing radiation Three Mile Island is regarded as a near-miss: the emergency could have been far worse The event raised safety concerns for U.S. citizens and policymakers Chernobyl was the worst accident yet The 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine caused the most severe nuclear power plant accident the world has ever seen For 10 days, radiation escaped from the plant while crews tried to put out the fire The Soviet Union evacuated more than 100,000 residents The landscape around the plant for 19 miles remains contaminated The accident killed 31 people directly and many became sick or developed cancer The Chernobyl accident The destroyed reactor was encased in a massive concrete sarcophagus to contain further leakage Atmospheric currents carried radioactive fallout from Chernobyl across much of the Northern Hemisphere Smaller-scale accidents have occurred Although western reactors are far safer than Chernobyl, smaller accidents have occurred A 1999 accident in Japan killed two workers and exposed 400 others to leaked radiation As plants around the world age, they require more maintenance and are less safe Recent terrorist attacks raised fears that similar attacks could be carried out against nuclear plants Or stolen radioactive material could be used in attacks The U.S. government’s “megatons to megawatts” program has been buying up radioactive material and using it in power plants Waste disposal remains a problem The long half-lives of uranium, plutonium, and other radioisotopes will cause them to continue emitting radiation for thousands of years Radioactive waste must be placed in unusually stable and secure locations where radioactivity will not harm future generations Nuclear waste from power generation is being held in temporary storage at nuclear power plants across the U.S. and the world Spent fuel rods must be stored Spent fuel rods are sunk in pools of cooling water to minimize radiation leakage By 2010, 75% of U.S. plants will have no room left for this type of storage They are now expanding their storage capacity by storing waste in thick casks of steel, lead, and concrete U.S. power plants store tons of waste U.S. power plants store 56,000 metric tons of high-level radioactive waste, as well as much more low-level radioactive waste Waste is held at 125 sites in over 39 states Most of these sites are vulnerable to terrorist attacks Over 161 million U.S. citizens live within 75 miles of temporarily stored waste Storage of high-level radioactive waste Waste storage at Yucca Mountain, Nevada Nuclear waste managers want to send all waste to a central repository that can be heavily guarded Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was recommended by the president and approved by Congress It’s waiting approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to become the site that receives waste from nuclear reactors and military installations Yucca Mountain, Nevada Scientists and policymakers chose Yucca Mountain It is 14 miles to the nearest year-round residences It has stable geology, with minimal risk of earthquakes that could damage the tunnels and release radioactivity Its dry climate should minimize water infiltration, reducing chances of groundwater contamination The water table is deep underground, making groundwater contamination less likely The pool of groundwater does not connect with groundwater elsewhere, so any contamination would be contained The location on federal land can be protected from sabotage Concerns with Yucca Mountain as a site Some argue that earthquakes and volcanic activity could destabilize the site’s geology They also fear that fissures in the mountain’s rock could allow rainwater to seep into the caverns Nuclear waste will need to be transported to Yucca Mountain from the 120-some current storage areas and from current and future nuclear plants and military installations Shipments by rail and truck across thousands of public highways through all the states in the union cause a high risk of accident or sabotage Dilemmas have slowed nuclear power’s growth It is enormously expensive to build, maintain, operate, and ensure the safety of nuclear facilities Shutting down (decommissioning) plants can be more expensive than construction Electricity is more expensive than from coal and other sources Nuclear power plants in Western Europe will be retired by 2030 Asian nations are increasing nuclear capacity; 15 to 26 plants are under construction The future of U.S. nuclear energy The U.S. nuclear industry has stopped building plants Expanding nuclear capacity would decrease reliance on fossil fuels Engineers are planning ways to make nuclear power plants safer and less expensive Biomass energy Biomass energy has great potential for addressing our energy challenges Biomass = organic material that makes up living organisms People harness biomass energy from many types of plant matter Wood from trees, charcoal from burned wood, and matter from agricultural crops, as well as combustible animal waste products Biomass from decomposition Waste management systems like landfills and wastewater treatment plants use decomposing microbes to create methane for energy Biomass sources are widely used More than 1 billion people use wood from trees as their principal energy source In developing nations, families gather fuelwood for heating, cooking, and lighting Fuelwood, charcoal, and manure account for 35% of energy use Fuelwood and other biomass sources constitute 80% of all renewable energy used worldwide Biomass can be overharvested Biomass is only renewable when it is not overharvested With rapid deforestation, soil erosion, and forest failures to regrow, biomass is not replenished As developing nations industrialize, fossil fuels are replacing traditional energy sources Biomass use is growing more slowly than overall energy use New biomass strategies Biomass sources include a variety of materials Biopower = produced when biomass sources are burned in power plants, generating heat and electricity Biofuels = biomass sources converted into fuels to power automobiles Biofuels can power automobiles Ethanol = produces as a biofuel by fermenting carbohydrate-rich crops Ethanol is widely added to U.S. gasoline to reduce emissions Any vehicle will run well on a 10% ethanol mix Cars can run on ethanol Flexible fuel vehicles = run on 85% ethanol But, very few gas stations offer this fuel Researchers are refining techniques to produce ethanol from cellulose, so ethanol could be made from low-value crops, instead of high-value crops Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oil U.S. biodiesel producers use soybean oil Animal fats, used grease, and cooking oil can also be used Vehicles can run on 100% biodiesel, but the engine needs to be modified Biodiesel cuts down on emissions; its fuel economy is almost as good and costs slightly more than gasoline Biopower generates electricity Many sources of biomass can be used Waste products of existing industries or processes Woody debris from logging operations and sawmills Crops can be specifically grown, such as fast-growing willow trees or bamboo Co-firing combines biomass with coal Bacterial breakdown of waste to produce methane Biomass energy brings benefits It is essentially carbon-neutral, releasing no net carbon into the atmosphere Only if biomass sources are not overharvested Capturing landfill gases reduces methane emissions Economic benefits include Supporting rural communities Reducing dependence of fossil fuel imports Improved energy efficiency Reduces air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide Drawbacks of biomass energy Health hazards from indoor air pollution Rapid harvesting can lead to deforestation Growing crops exerts tremendous impacts on ecosystems Fertilizers and pesticides Land is converted to agriculture Biofuel is competing with food production Substantial inputs of energy are required Hydroelectric power Hydroelectric power = uses the kinetic energy of moving water to turn turbines and generate electricity Storage technique = impoundments harness energy by storing water in reservoirs behind dams Water passing through the dam turns turbines Run-of-river approaches generates energy without greatly disrupting the flow of river water A typical dam A run-of-river system Hydroelectric power is widely used Hydropower accounts for 2.2% of the world’s energy supply And 16% of the world’s electricity production Nations with large rivers and economic resources have used dams However, many countries have dammed their large rivers People want some rivers left undammed Hydropower is clean and renewable Hydropower has two clear advantages over fossil fuels for producing electricity: It is renewable: as long as precipitation fills rivers we can use water to turn turbines It is clean: no carbon dioxide is emitted Hydropower is efficient It has an EROI of 10:1, as high as any modern-day energy source Hydropower has negative impacts Damming rivers destroys habitats Upstream areas are submerged Downstream areas are starved of water Natural flooding cycles are disrupted Thermal pollution of downstream water Periodic flushes of cold reservoir water can kill fish Dams block passage of fish, fragmenting the river and reducing biodiversity Hydropower may not expand much more China’s Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest dam Most of the world’s large rivers have already been dammed People have grown aware of the ecological impact of dams Developing nations will probably increase hydropower if they have rivers Conclusion With limited fossil fuel supplies, nations are trying to diversify their energy portfolios Nuclear power showed promise, but high costs and public fears stalled its growth Biomass energy sources include traditional wood and newer biofuels Hydropower is a renewable, pollution-free alternative, but it can involve substantial ecological impacts QUESTION: Review Which of the following is not a benefit of conventional alternative fuels? They exert less environmental impact than fossil fuels They are best viewed as intermediate sources of fuel They are best viewed as final sources of fuel Each energy source has benefits for the environment QUESTION: Review The reaction that drives the release of energy in nuclear power plants is…. Nuclear fission Nuclear fusion Control rods Nuclear emergencies QUESTION: Review Why are nuclear power plants not supported in the U.S.? Fears about accidents Nuclear waste issues High costs of building and maintaining plants All are issues regarding nuclear energy QUESTION: Review Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is the site selected for permanent radioactive waste disposal. Which of the following is not a reason for selecting this site? It is remote Its wet climate should minimize water contamination The water table is deep underground It has minimal risk of earthquakes QUESTION: Review Ethanol in the U.S. is made mainly from ______, and is used to ______ Soybeans, heat homes Sugar cane, drive cars Corn, drive cars Willow trees, make electricity QUESTION: Review Which of the following is not a benefit of hydropower? It produces carbon dioxide It is a clean source of energy It is renewable All of these are benefits of hydropower QUESTION: Weighing the Issues Given the choice of living next to a coal-burning power plant or nuclear plant, which would you choose? The nuclear plant, because it’s cleaner The coal plant, because it won’t emit radioactive materials Neither one; I’d move to another place Either one; I don’t care QUESTION: Interpreting Graphs and Data If ethanol in the U.S. is produced from corn, a drawback suggested from this graph could be: a) More corn is available b) More competition between food and fuel c) Less land planted in corn d) None of these