Chapter 17, Section 1: Energy Resources & Fossil Fuels
Standards: SEV4b, c, e, f, SEV5e
What is a nonrenewable resource?
 Nonrenewable resource
is a natural resource
which cannot be
reproduced, grown, or
regenerated
 It cannot be sustained at
its current consumption
rate
 Once depleted there will
be no more available for
future use
What is a fossil fuel?
 Fossil fuels are the
remains of ancient
organisms that changed
into coal, oil, or natural
gas through very specific
geologic processes.
 Fossil fuels are a type of
nonrenewable energy
resources
What are 2 problems associated
with using fossil fuels?
Fossil fuel supplies are
limited.
2. Obtaining & using
fossil fuels causes
environmental
problems such as air
pollution & global
warming.
1.
What are the 5 main uses of fuels?
 Cooking
 Transportation
 Manufacturing
 Heating & cooling
 Generating electricity to
run machines &
appliances.
How is electricity generated?
 Fossil fuel is burned to release heat.
 Heat is used to boil water to make

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steam. (1)
Steam turns a turbine (rotating
blade like a fan) (2)
Turbine turns the electric generator
(3)
Electric generators produce electric
energy by moving electrically
conductive material within a
magnetic field.
Electricity is passed to a transformer
which slows & reduces the
electricity that comes to your home
thru power lines. (4)
Are all fuels created equal?
 No!
 Different fuels are used for
different needs.
 For example: Airplanes
cannot run on coal because
you would need hundreds of
tons of coal to power the
plane.
 Fuel usage depends on:



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Fuel’s energy content
Cost
Availability
Safety
Byproducts of fuel usage
What is the “cost” of energy?
 Every product requires energy
to make the product.
 The price you pay for the
product reflects the cost of
the energy.
 For example: buying a plane
ticket includes the cost of
fuel.
 The cost of energy depends
on how much energy is
needed to extract it from the
ground & make it usable- Net
Energy Production (see next
slide)
Net Energy Production
 Takes energy to get energy
 Net Energy Production is the total
amount of energy available from
an energy source MINUS the
energy needed to find, extract,
process, and get that energy to
consumers.
 EX: You extract 10 units of oil
from the ground. 8 units are used
or wasted to find, extract, process,
and transport the oil to users.
Only 2 units of useful energy are
available for use.
 An energy source may have a low
net energy yield because it takes
so much energy to get it & make it
usable.
Cellulosic ethanol produced from
switchgrass has higher net energy yield
than corn because it takes less energy to
grow & harvest it. Don’t have to plant
seeds, use fertilizer or pesticide like you
do for corn. It just grows naturally in
the prairie.
What are patterns of energy use?
 World Patterns
 Developed countries use more
energy than developing
 This may be changing for some
as developing countries
become more prosperous.
 I=PAT equation quantifies the
impact a country has on the
environment & its resources

Impact (I) depends on:
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(P)opulation size
(A)ffluence /wealth
(T)echnology
As China (highly populated
developing country) becomes
more affluent due to
globalization they will have more
impact on the environment &
resources than some developed
countries.
What are patterns of energy use?
 United States Pattern
 US has highest energy usage. *
 Most of our energy goes to
transporting goods & people.
 Other countries like Japan &
Switzerland use extensive rail
systems, are smaller, compact
countries, & may rely more on
renewable energy
(hydropower)
 Also, energy in US is CHEAP
compared to other countries.

No incentive to conserve gas
when its cost is so low.
Numbers on Y-axis are prices of gas in US dollars.
Red bars are cost of gas, blue bars are gas taxes
US pays least amount of taxes and has lowest gas prices!
What are the 3 types of fossil fuels
most commonly used?
Coal
2. Oil/Petroleum
3. Natural Gas
1.
How did coal form?
What are uses of coal?
What are the types of coal?
What are the advantages & disadvantages to using coal?
What methods are used to make coal burning cleaner?
How did coal form?
 Remains of swamp plants
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repeatedly covered in
sediment as ocean levels rose
and fell 320-300 million years
ago.
The sediment compressed the
plant remains.
Heat & pressure from with
Earth turned plant remains
into coal.
Most abundant coal deposits
in world are in U.S. and Asia
(China)
Most abundant coal deposits
in U.S. are in eastern U.S.
What are the uses of coal?
 Coal is burned to
 CREATE ELECTRICITY
 Manufacture cement,
steel, other industrial
products
 Heating homes
What are the ranks of coal?
 Lignite: A brownish-black coal of low
quality (i.e., low heat content per
unit) with high moisture and volatile
matter. Higher smoke and pollution.
Energy content is lower 4000 BTU/lb.
From Lignite
↓
 Sub-bituminous: Black lignite, is dull
black and generally contains 20 to 30
percent moisture Energy content is
8,300 BTU/lb.
 Bituminous: most common coal is
dense and black (often with welldefined bands of bright and dull
material). Its moisture content
usually is less than 20 percent. Energy
content about 10,500 Btu / lb.
 Anthracite :A hard, black lustrous
coal, often referred to as hard coal,
containing a high percentage of fixed
carbon and a low percentage of
volatile matter. Least smoke &
pollution. Energy content of about
14,000 Btu/lb.
Moisture, pollution, smoke
decreases
Energy increases
↓
To Anthracite
Bituminous is mostly used
because it is cheaper & easier to
extract than anthracite which is
usually deeper in the ground.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
 Cheap & plentiful
 Most abundant fossil
fuel (300-900 years left)
 U.S. has a lot of it!
 Low cost
 High net energy yield
 Have reduced air
pollution problems with
better technology
Cons
 Dirtiest fuel- releases tons
of SO2, CO2, NOx and
mercury
 Air & water pollution
 Sulfur causes acid rain
 Carbon dioxide increases
global warming
 Major environmental
damage in mining
 High land use
 Major threat to health
What methods are used to make
coal burning cleaner?
 Coal washing- removes
sulfur
 Scrubbers- spray
neutralizing solution on
coal gas before it leaves
smoke stack.
 Clean Air Act- sets
standards for emissions
released from coal
burning facilities &
imposes fines as needed.
Scrubber Device
How did oil form?
What are uses of oil?
What are the advantages & disadvantages to using oil?
What methods are used to make oil use cleaner?
How did oil form?
 Tiny marine organisms
decayed, accumulated,
and were covered in
sediment on ocean floor
millions of years ago.
 Heat & pressure turned
the bodies & sediment
into oil.
What are the uses for
oil/petroleum?
 Crude oil comes straight out
of ground.
 Must be refined to make
products thru a process called
fractional distillation.
 Crude oil is heated to
different temperatures. At
different boiling points the
oil is condensed and removed
to make a variety of products
 Fuels- jet fuel, gasoline,
diesel
 Plastics
 Lubricating oils, waxes
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
 Low cost
 High net energy yield
 Easy transportation
Cons
 Projected to run out in
about 50 years.
 Artificially low price
encourages waste. (Price is
low due to government
subsidies*)
 Air pollution when burned
 Releases CO2 when burned
 Water pollution from oil
tankers/spills
What methods are used to make
oil use cleaner?
 Catalytic converters-
clean car exhaust before it
leaves car.
 Unleaded fuel- removing
lead from gasoline reduces
air pollution problems
 Lead causes learning
disabilities in children
 Introduced in 1970s in U.S.
 Double-hull on oil tankers
prevents possible oil spills
in ocean.
How did natural gas form?
What are uses of natural gas?
What are the advantages & disadvantages to using natural gas?
What is fracking?
How did natural gas form?
 Natural gas is formed as
a by-product of oil
formation.
 It is usually found in
pockets around oil
deposits.
 If natural gas can’t be
harvested with oil, it may
be burned off.
What are the uses of natural gas?
 Cooking
 Heating & cooling
 Some electricity
 Car fuel
Advantages & Disadvantages
Pros
 125-200 year supply
 90% of the natural gas
used in U.S. comes from
U.S.- we don’t rely on
foreign countries for this
like we do oil.
 High net energy yield
 Low cost (huge subsidies)
 Less air pollution & CO2
emissions than oil & coal
 Less land degradation
 Easily transported by pipes
Cons
 Releases some CO2
 Releases methane
(greenhouse gas)
 Explosive
 Cars- stored in pressurized
tank which is not safe.
 Fracking (see next slide)
What is Hydraulic Fracturing
AKA…“Fracking”?
 Fracking is used to get pockets of
natural gas out of the ground.
 Process: Water, sand & chemicals are
forced thru a drilled hole, rock is
cracked, forces natural gas upward to
be collected
 Cons: Chemicals find their way into
water supplies, poisoning people,
livestock, and soil. (20-40% of fracking
chemicals stay underground.)
 Halliburton Loophole- placed in the
2005 Energy Bill created by former vice
president Dick Cheney (once a
Halliburton vice president) says natural
gas companies that use fracking are
exempt from Safe Drinking Water Act
and don’t have to disclose what type of
chemicals they are using.
“Gasland” is an HBO documentary made
about fracking.
GASLAND Trailer 2010 - YouTube
“Promised Land” is a new movie about
natural gas, fracking, and its affects on
small town America.