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Natural Resources PowerPoint

Solar energy and other renewable resources like wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass are increasingly important sources of energy. Solar energy is clean and abundant but intermittent, while wind and hydroelectric power depend on weather conditions. Ocean thermal energy conversion and tidal power are also renewable but currently have high capital costs. Fossil fuels remain important but are finite and cause pollution. Natural resources provide essential materials and energy for human life and activities.

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175 views25 pages

Natural Resources PowerPoint

Solar energy and other renewable resources like wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass are increasingly important sources of energy. Solar energy is clean and abundant but intermittent, while wind and hydroelectric power depend on weather conditions. Ocean thermal energy conversion and tidal power are also renewable but currently have high capital costs. Fossil fuels remain important but are finite and cause pollution. Natural resources provide essential materials and energy for human life and activities.

Uploaded by

K Raghu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Advances in energy system

Module 2
What are Natural Resources?
The materials we use from nature such as wind energy, water, plants, animals,
and fossil fuels to make the things we need are called natural resources.
They are the basis of life on Earth.
Natural Resources fall under 2 main Categories:

Renewabl Non-
e renewable
Resources Resources
Renewable Resources
Renewable resources are those that can be replaced or never runs
out.

Examples include solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, hydroelectric


energy (water), and biomass (material made from plants and animals).
Wind Power: Wind is moving air
Solar Energy: Since earth formed, the
created as the sun heats the earth’s
sun has produced energy in the form of
surface. As long as the sun is
heat and light. It is considered unlimited
shining, the wind remains an
(the sun isn’t going anywhere!)
infinite, renewable resource.
Flowing water creates energy that can be captured and turned into electricity
which is called Hydroelectric power. Water is constantly renewed by the water
cycle which makes this a renewable resource.
When we use heat from the earth to generate energy it is called Geothermal
Energy. (geo mean earth and thermal means heat)

Core

The earth is constantly being


warmed up by its core so when we
use geothermal energy, we don’t
Using geothermal heat
use up resources like we do when
pumps is a great way to
we burn gas. This makes it a
heat or cool buildings.
renewable resource.
Biomass is any material made by plants and animals that we can convert into energy.
It is considered renewable because we can always grow more plants and trees.
Types of Biomass
Wood Crops Animal Waste

When you burn wood Crops like corn or sugar


cane can be converted into Animal waste such as
in your home, it
a biofuel called ethanol cow manure is often
releases energy which which can be used instead used for fertilizer.
heats your home of gasoline in many cars.
Non-Renewable Resources
Non-renewable resources are those that cannot be replaced at the
same rate it is being used. It takes a long time to be replaced.

Most Non-renewable energy sources are fossil fuels: coal, natural gas, and oil.
Fossil fuels release heat energy when they are burned and they are
used to create energy and electricity. They were formed from the
remains of living organisms millions of years ago.

Types of Fossil Fuels


Coal
Oil Natural Gas

Oil is a liquid fossil fuel. Most We rely on natural gas to give power
Coal is a black or brownish rock.
of the worlds oil is still deep to lights, TVs, air conditioners, and
We burn coal to create energy.
under the ground. kitchen appliances.
Burning fossil fuels are harmful to the environment. When coal and oil are
burned, they release particles that can pollute the air, water, and land.
Why are natural resources important?
Without natural resources humans would not survive. People use natural
resources every day directly or indirectly. More than 60% of resource use
are towards food and drink, mobility (cars, trains), and housing.
Solar energy

• Solar energy is the cleanest and most


abundant renewable energy source available,
and the U.S. has some of the richest solar
resources on the planet.
• Modern technology can harness this energy
for myriad uses, which include generating
electricity, providing light or a more
comfortable interior environment, and
warming water for personal, commercial, or
industrial use.
Advantages of Solar Power

• Solar energy is an immaculate and renewable energy source.


• Once a solar panel is installed, solar energy can be produced free of charge.
• Solar energy will last forever while it is estimated that the world’s oil supply will run
out in 30 or 40 years.
• Solar energy causes no pollution.
• Solar cells create no negative impact at all. On the other hand, the giant machines that
pump oil are noisy polluters, and therefore very unfeasible.
• Almost no maintenance is required to keep solar cells running. There are no moving
parts in solar cells, making it difficult to harm them.
• In the long term, there can be high return on an initial investment because of the
amount of free energy a solar panel can produce; it is estimated that the normal
family can generate half of its energy from solar panels.
Disadvantages of Solar Energy

• As with all renewable energy sources, solarenergy has regularity issues; the sun does not shineat night,
and during the day there may be clouds or rain.
• Therefore, the intermittency and idiosyncrasies of solarenergy make solarpanels a less reliablea
solution.
• Solar panels require additional equipment, like inverters,to convert direct power (DC) to alternating
current (AC) for use on the power network.
• For a constant supply of electric power, particularly for on-grid connections, photovoltaic panels
require inverters as well as storage batteries, increasing the initial investment for solar power
accordingly.
• In the case of land-mounted PV panels, moderately large areas are needed; more often than not, land
is available for this use for only 15-20 years.
• Solar panel efficiency is generally low (between 14%-25%),in contrast to the higher effectiveness of
other renewable energy systems.
• In spite of the fact that PV panels require no excessive maintenance or operating costs, they are fragile
and can be damaged easily; extra insurance costs are therefore essential to protect a PV investment.
Application of solar energy

Some of the major application of solar energy are as follows:


(a)Solar water heating
(b) Solar heating of buildings
(c) Solar distillation
(d) Solar pumping
(e) Solar drying of agricultural and animal products
(f) Solar furnaces
(g) Solar cooking
(h) Solar electric power generation
(i) Solar thermal power production
(j) Solar green houses.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)

• Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a process that can produce electricity by
using the temperature difference between deep cold ocean water and warm tropical
surface waters.
• OTEC plants pump large quantities of deep cold seawater and surface seawater to run
a power cycle and produce electricity.
ADVANTAGES:-
• Power from OTEC is continuous, renewable and pollution free.
• Unlike other forms of solar energy, output of OTEC shows very little daily or seasonal variation.
• Drawing of warm and cold sea water and returning of the sea water, close to the thermocline, could be
accomplished with minimum environment impact.
• Electric power generated by OTEC could be used to produce hydrogen.

DISADVANTAGES:-
• Capital investment is very high.
• Due to small temperature difference in between the surface water and deep water, conversion
efficiency is very low about 3-4%.
• Low efficiency of these plants coupled with high capital cost and maintenance cost makes them
uneconomical for small plants.
Applications
• Power generation
• Refrigeration and air conditioning of offshore and onshore structures
• Desalinating water
• Artificial fishing
• Mineral exploration
Tidal Energy

What is Tidal Energy?


Tides are a regular phenomenon. They can be predicted over months and years in advance. This is why the energy
from this massive movement
Some advantages of tidal energy are:
•Environment-friendly
•A highly predictable energy source
•High energy density
•Operational and maintenance costs are low
•An inexhaustible source of energy

Some of the disadvantages of tidal energy are:


•High tidal power plant construction costs
•Negative influence on marine life forms
•Location limits
•The variable intensity of sea waves
Wind Energy

What is wind energy?


As the name suggests, wind energy, or wind power, is the process whereby wind is used to generate electricity. Wind
turbines convert the kinetic wind energy into mechanical power, which can be used for specific tasks or to turn into
electricity.
•Advantages of wind energy
• Wind is a reliable and infinite renewable energy resource
• Wind energy is cost effective, and prices are dropping still
• Wind energy reduces carbon emissions when used instead of fossil fuels
• Few running costs when the turbines are up and running.
• Offshore wind farms can take advantage of offshore wind flow, without affecting the landscape view.
Disadvantages of wind energy
• Wind energy can be unpredictable as the amount of electricity generated is dependent on the speed and direction
of the wind
• Wind farms can affect the visual appearance of the landscape
• Wind turbines can damage the habitats of birds and marine life.
• Wind farms can be expensive to construct
In windmills (a much older technology), wind energy is used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work, such
as crushing grain or pumping water [5].
Recently, wind energy has also been used to desalinate water. For further information on use of wind power for water
desalination, see Wind Energy - Water Desalination.

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