| |
|
|
Energy sources
What is an energy-source, which kinds
of energy are there and why are energy sources so important? At
this place you learn about sources of energy.
What are sources of energy and where are they
used for?
An energy source is a system which makes energy in a certain way,
for instance a hydro-electric station. A hydro-electric station
uses the current of the river for the making of electricity.
Nowadays we need energy-sources for electricity. Without
electricity no computers, no television, no washers. A lot of
apparatus would not work without electricity.
Which different sources of energy do we
know?
How many energy-sources do we know, below are the most important
sources.
- Nuclear power
 Nuclear power is a
form of energy which arise from a reaction between atomic
nucleï. Mostly this form of energy comes out of nuclear
fission. To explain how this process works, we give a little
explanation about the structure of atomic nucleï. Atomic
nucleï excist out of neutrons and protons. these little parts
(neutrons and protons) are held together in the center of the
atomic nucleus through a special energy, called binding-energy. In
a process in which the atomic nucleï collide whith eachother,
they fall apart and the loose parts come out of the atomic nucleus.
The energy which kept the parts together is not necessary anymore
and this energy comes 'free'. At the technique of nuclear fission,
atomic nucleï collide with eachother in a central boiler to
become as much energy out of it as possible. The so called
'binding-energy' falls apart and this energy comes out of the
atomic nucleus. This energy is used for heating up water and this
water becomes steam. Through the steam a turbine can be driven and
so electricity is a fact. The speed in which the atomic nucleï
collide is controlled by special rods. These rods can pull atomic
nucleï towards them and so there become less atomic
nucleï which can collid and then there is less binding-energy
to come 'free'.
- Fossil energy
Fossil energy is generated through the burning of fossil remains.
At this burning the fossil fuel is used as a source of heat to make
steam out of water. This steam is used for the working of a
turbine. With the help of a generator, this turbine can make
electricity. Examples of fossil fuels are oil, natural gas and
coal. These fossil fuels are remains of dead materials of plants
and animals. These plants and animals died over a million years ago
and under the pressure of the earth's surface and through the decay
of this material their came a process of compression. Carbon is the
main part of these fossile fuels, the more carbon, the heavier the
fuel.
- Alternative energy
Alternative energy is a form of energy without waste-matters. It
is also a form where the source, which delivers the energy, is
endless. Some alternative energy-sources are sun-, water- and
windenergy. By al these forms of alternative energy, excisting
energy (like water, wind and sun) is used for the making of
electric energy. For instance, a hydro-electric station makes use
of the fall between a lake and a river. They build a flood control
dam between the lake and the river. And in the one outlet of the
dam they build a turbine. This turbine activates a generator and
the water energy is transformed into electric energy. More
information about alternative energy you can find in the article
about green energy.
What are the pros and cons of different
sources of energy?
The three different kinds of energy-sources have their own pros
and cons. In this part we give a few of them.
- Nuclear power
For the generation of nuclear power little raw material is needed
to generate a lot of electric energy. This is an advantage, because
the supply of the raw material will be enough for quite a time. A
very big disadvantage is that the raw material for nuclear power,
uranium, is very radio-active. Also the used rods en other used
materials stay radio-active for ages. at a nuclear power plant as
Tsjernobyl we have seen how dangerous this type of
energy-generation can be. This is the major reason why
environmental groups (like Greenpeace) are against this form of
energy-winning.
- Fossil energy
The big advantage of fossil energy is that, to generate the energy
from the raw material is easy and cheap. Disadvantage is that
during the process of combustion a lot of toxic materials comes
into the air which causes extra pollution of the atmosphere, these
materials also increase the effect of global warming. Another disadvantage of
fossil energy is that the supply of fossil fuels is not endless.
The current supply is for approximately 50 years. That is why the
USA wants to trail for oil and natural gas in Alaska. If the USA do
this, there are big consequences for the environment. For more
information about this subject, go to the article about exhaustion.
- Alternative energy
The advantage of alternative energy is that the energy source is
endless and doesn't give any pollution. Still, there are not many
alternative energy forms, because for instance the technique to
transform sun-beams into electric energy is very expensive. For
more information about alternative forms of energy-winning, go to
the article about green
energy
Print
Choose a type to download. In Internet Explorer: right click the
link and choose 'save target as'. In Netscape Communicator: choose
'save link as'.
|
|
- To the top 