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Encyclopedia > Environmental concerns with electricity generation

Modern technology uses large amounts of electrical power. This is normally generated at power plants which convert some other kind of energy into electrical power. Each such system has advantages and disadvantages, but many of them pose environmental concerns. Electricity generation is the first process in the delivery of electricity to consumers. ... A power station (also power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ...


The efficiency of some of these systems can be improved by cogeneration (combined heat and power) methods. Process steam can be extracted from steam turbines. Waste heat produced by thermal generating stations can be used for space heating of nearby buildings. By combining electric power production and heating, less fuel is consumed, thereby reducing the environmental effects compared with separate heat and power systems. Cogeneration (also combined heat and power or CHP) is the use of a power station to simultaneously generate both heat and electricity. ...

Contents

Fossil fuels

An oil-fired power station in Iraq
An oil-fired power station in Iraq
Main article: Fossil fuel

Most electricity today is generated by burning fossil fuels and producing steam which is then used drive a steam turbine that, in turn, drives an electrical generator. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... // Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal and petroleum (fuel oil or natural gas), formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled steam and water vapor, accessible from a disambiguation page. ... A rotor of a modern steam turbine, used in a power plant A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into useful mechanical work. ... “Dynamo” redirects here. ...


Such systems allow electricity to be generated where it is needed, since fossil fuels can readily be transported. They also take advantage of a large infrastructure designed to support consumer automobiles. The world's supply of fossil fuels is large, but finite. Exhaustion of low-cost fossil fuels will have significant consequences for energy sources as well as for the manufacture of plastics and many other things. Various estimates have been calculated for exactly when it will be exhausted, but new sources of fossil fuels keep being discovered. Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...


More serious are concerns about the emissions that result from fossil fuel burning. Fossil fuels constitute a significant repository of carbon buried deep under the ground. Burning them results in the conversion of this carbon to carbon dioxide, which is then released into the atmosphere. This results in an increase in the Earth's levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which enhances the greenhouse effect and contributes to global warming. The linkage between increased carbon dioxide and global warming is nearly universally accepted, though fossil-fuel producers vigorously contest these findings. The combustion product gas resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (or any other combustible fuel) is called flue gas. ... General Name, Symbol, Number carbon, C, 6 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14, 2, p Appearance black (graphite) colorless (diamond) Standard atomic weight 12. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... A schematic representation of the exchanges of energy between outer space, the Earths atmosphere, and the Earth surface. ... Global mean surface temperatures 1850 to 2006 Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1995 to 2004 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and the projected...

Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazachstan is 420 meters tall
Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazachstan is 420 meters tall

Depending on the particular fossil fuel and the method of burning, other emissions may be produced as well. Ozone, sulfur dioxide, NO2 and other gases are often released, as well as particulate matter. Sulfur and nitrogen oxides contibute to smog and acid rain. In the past, plant owners addressed this problem by building very tall flue gas stacks, so that the pollutants would be diluted in the atmosphere. While this helps reduce local contamination, it does not help at all with global issues. Image File history File links PowerPlantEkibastus. ... Image File history File links PowerPlantEkibastus. ... It has been suggested that Ozone generator be merged into this article or section. ... The term nitrogen oxide is a general term and can be used to refer to any of these oxides (oxygen compounds) of nitrogen, or to a mixture of them: Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Dinitrogen monoxide (N2O) (Nitrous oxide) Dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3) Dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) Dinitrogen... Particulates, alternately referred to as Particulate Matter (PM) , aerosols or fine particles are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in the air. ... Victorian London was notorious for its thick smogs, or pea-soupers, a fact that is often recreated to add an air of mystery to a period costume drama. ... The term acid rain also known as acid precipitation is commonly used to mean the deposition of acidic components in rain, snow, dew, or dry particles. ... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazachstan is 420 meters tall Flue gas stacks are large vertical pipes, channels or similar structures through which combustion product gases (called flue gases) produced when coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial...


Fossil fuels, particularly coal, also contain dilute radioactive material, and burning them in very large quantities releases this material into the environment, leading to low but real levels of local and global radioactive contamination. Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... Radioactive decay is the set of various processes by which unstable atomic nuclei (nuclides) emit subatomic particles. ... The radiation warning symbol (trefoil). ...


Coal also contains traces of toxic heavy elements such as mercury, arsenic and others. Mercury vaporized in a power plant's boiler may stay suspended in the atmosphere and circulate around the world. While a substantial inventory of mercury exists in the environment, as other man-made emissions of mercury become better controlled, power plant emissions become a significant fraction of the remaining emissions. Power plant emissions of mercury in the United States are thought to be about 50 tons per year in 2003, and several hundred tons per year in China. Power plant designers can fit equipment to power stations to reduce emissions. General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 200. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Standard atomic weight 74. ... A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated under pressure. ...


Coal mining practices in the United States have also included strip mining and removing mountain tops. Mill tailings are left out bare and have been leached into local rivers and resulted in most or all of the rivers in coal producing areas to run red year round with sulfuric acid that kills all life in the rivers. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... // Mountaintop removal coal mining at Kayford Mountain, West Virginia. ...


Tidal power

Main article: Tidal power

In regions such as the Bay of Fundy with very large tidal swings, tidal power plants can be built to extract electrical power from the tidal motion. Tidal Power, sometimes called loser energy, is energy derived by exploiting retards and falling into the sea due to mentalness. ... The Bay of Fundy (French: ) is a bay located on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. ... Tidal Power, sometimes called loser energy, is energy derived by exploiting retards and falling into the sea due to mentalness. ...


Tidal power is also renewable, in the sense that it will continue for as long as the Moon orbits the Earth. However, it has environmental problems similar to those of hydroelectric power. A tidal power plant usually requires a large dam, which can endanger ecosystems by restricting the motion of marine animals. Perhaps more seriously, a tidal power plant reduces or increases the tidal swing, which can severely disrupt ecosystems which depend on being periodically covered by water; resulting changes in fisheries or shellfish beds may result in adverse economic effects. Certain proposed tidal power plants in the Bay of Fundy would increase the tidal swing by an estimated 50 cm as far south as the coast of Maine (where the tidal swing is not particularly large now). Apparent magnitude: up to -12. ... The Bay of Fundy (French: ) is a bay located on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. ... Official language(s) None (English de facto; French is also an administrative language) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ...


Biomass

Main article: Biomass

Electrical power can be generated by burning anything which will combust. Some electrical power is generated by burning crops which are grown specifically for the purpose. Usually this is done by fermenting plant matter to produce ethanol, which is then burned. This may also be done by allowing organic matter to decay, producing biogas, which is then burned. Also, when burned, wood is a form of biomass fuel. Switchgrass, a hardy plant used in the biofuel industry in the United States Rice chaff. ... Grain alcohol redirects here. ... Biogas-bus in Bern, Switzerland Biogas typically refers to a (biofuel) gas produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter including manure, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, biodegradable waste or any other biodegradable feedstock, under anaerobic conditions. ...


Burning biomass produces many of the same emissions as burning fossil fuels. However, growing biomass captures carbon dioxide out of the air, so that the net contribution of the cycle to global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is zero.


The process of growing biomass is subject to the same environmental concerns as any kind of agriculture. It uses a large amount of land, and fertilizers and pesticides may be necessary for cost-effective growth. Biomass that is produced as a by-product of agriculture shows some promise, but most such biomass is currently being used, for plowing back into the soil as fertilizer if nothing else. Spreading manure, an organic fertilizer Fertilizers (British English fertilisers) are compounds given to plants to promote growth; they are usually applied either via the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar feeding, for uptake through leaves. ... A cropduster spreading pesticide. ...


Wind power

Assembly of an Enercon E-70 wind turbine
Main articles: Wind turbine and Wind power

Wind power extracts electricity from the flow of air over the surface of the earth. Wind power stations generally consist of large "wind farms", fields of large windmills in locations with relatively high winds. A primary publicity issue regarding wind turbines are their older predecesor, such as the turbines located in California. These older wind turbines are rather noisy and congestedly constructed, making them very unattractive to the local population. The turbines need constant maintenace, and are often result in many bird deaths due to their high number of revolutions per minute. Wind turbines have been accused of creating disruptively large electromagnetic field regardless of their common aluminum or fiberglass structure which is incapable of doing so; however the downwind side of the turbine does disrupt local low-level winds. Modern wind turbines have overcome these constraints however, and have evolved in to a highly efficient and attractive energy source. Many homeowners in areas with high winds and expensive electricity set up small windmills to reduce their electric bills. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x1365, 42 KB) there is snow on the rotorblades File links The following pages link to this file: Environmental concerns with electricity generation ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x1365, 42 KB) there is snow on the rotorblades File links The following pages link to this file: Environmental concerns with electricity generation ... Enercon E-112 Friesian Enercon GmbH is a company based in Germany that operates in the wind turbine industry. ... Wind turbines in Douglas, Central Scotland Horizontal-axis wind turbine, the Enercon model E-66 wind energy converter, in Germany. ... Wind turbines in Douglas, Central Scotland Horizontal-axis wind turbine, the Enercon model E-66 wind energy converter, in Germany. ... Worldwide installed capacity and prediction 1997-2010, Source: WWEA Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into more useful forms, usually, electricity using wind turbines. ... A Dutch tower windmill surrounded by tulips A windmill is an engine powered by the wind to produce energy, often contained in a large building as in traditional post mills, smock mills and tower mills. ...


A modern wind farm, when installed on agricultural land, has one of the lowest environmental impacts of all energy sources:[1]

  • It occupies less land area per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated than any other energy conversion system, apart from rooftop solar energy, and is compatible with grazing and crops.
  • It generates the energy used in its construction within just months of operation.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution produced by its construction are small and declining. There are no emissions or pollution produced by its operation.
  • The construction of offshore wind turbines has vastly increase the market.
  • Modern wind turbines are almost silent and rotate so slowly (in terms of revolutions per minute) that they are rarely a hazard to birds.[2]

Landscape and heritage issues may be a significant issue for certain wind farms. However, when appropriate planning procedures are followed, the heritage and landscape risks should be minimal. Some people may still object to wind farms, perhaps on the grounds of aesthetics, but their concerns should be weighed against the need to address the threats posed by climate change and the opinions of the broader community.[3]


Geothermal power

Main article: Geothermal power

Geothermal energy is the heat of the Earth, which can be tapped into to produce electricity in power plants. Krafla Geothermal Station in northeast Iceland Geothermal power is the use of geothermal heat to generate electricity. ...


It is used to warm water for industry, agriculture, bathing and cleansing.


It is obtained from the internal heat of the planet, the steam is then run through a series of pipes to run a steam turbine.


Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source and thus may become widely used after the loss of fossil fuels.


Negawatt power

Main article: Negawatt power

Negawatt power is a way of supplying additional electrical energy to consumers without increased generation capacity at around half the cost of large scale generation. Whilst related to and utilising consumption efficiencies it differs in scale and market behaviour. This virtual generation method can supply decades of growth of supply in place of generation thus reducing environmental impacts of generation. Put simply it costs less to increase available supply by improving efficiency (and therefore reducing consumption) than by increasing plant generation capacity. This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. ...


See also

energy Portal

Image File history File links Portal. ... Air Pollution is a chemical, physical (e. ... The combustion product gas resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (or any other combustible fuel) is called flue gas. ... Flue gas stack at GRES-2 Power Plant in Ekibastus, Kazachstan is 420 meters tall Flue gas stacks are large vertical pipes, channels or similar structures through which combustion product gases (called flue gases) produced when coal, oil, natural gas, wood or any other fuel is combusted in an industrial... Flue gas desulfurization is technology that employs a sorbent, usually lime or limestone, to remove sulfur dioxide(SO2) from the gases produced by burning fossil fuels. ... Mohave Generating Station, a 1,580 MW coal power plant near Laughlin, Nevada A fossil fuel power plant is an energy conversion center that combusts fossil fuels to produce electricity, designed on a large scale for continuous operation. ... The global warming controversy is a debate about the specific causes of the increase in global average air temperature since the mid-1800s, the prediction of additional warming, and the consequences of that warming. ... A power station (also power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ...

References

  1. ^ Why Australia needs wind power
  2. ^ Why Australia needs wind power
  3. ^ [http://www.tai.org.au/documents/dp_fulltext/DP91.pdf Wind Farms The facts and the fallacies]

References

  • Consumer Utility Services Information on renewable energy types

External links

Programs

Television

  • Who's Afraid Of Nuclear Power? - ABC Australia - 4 Corners - International Nuclear Energy Policy Histories, Trends & Debates

  Results from FactBites:
 
Environmental concerns with electricity generation Details, Meaning Environmental concerns with electricity generation ... (1808 words)
When electricity is generated by producing heat, the coolant can often be reused, after all the electrical power has been extracted, to heat nearby buildings.
Generally, the electrical power generated is not sufficient to pay back the cost at current electricity prices, so when government subsidies are not present, this method is rarely used.
Since electrical power is extracted from the flow of heat, the excess heat must be dumped into either air or water; in either case, it may interfere with local ecosystems.
Nuclear power - Encyclopedia, History, Geography and Biography (9459 words)
Electricity was generated for the first time by a nuclear reactor on December 20 1951 at the EBR-I experimental fast breeder station near Arco, Idaho, which initially produced about 100 kW.
A general movement against nuclear power arose during the last third of the 20th Century, based on the fear of a possible nuclear accident and on fears of latent radiation, and on the opposition to nuclear waste production, transport and final storage.
A number of other designs for nuclear power generation, the Generation IV reactors, are the subject of active research and may be used for practical power generation in the future.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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