GEOG 1200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: International Energy Agency, Enbridge, Mountaintop Removal Mining
5 Dec 2016
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In 1867: peak use of wood = 90% (2009: >5%) 1920: peak use of coal = 75% (2009: 27. 2%) 1960s: peak use of oil = 60% (2009: 32. 8%: data from world energy outlook 2015 (international energy agency) Energy is defined as a source of usable power, such as petroleum or coal. It is the capacity of a physical system to do work: measured in joules. Heat values of various fuels (mj = mega-joules 1mj = 1 million joules) Non-renewable: coal, crude oil, natural gas, nuclear. Renewable: biomass, hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal, tidal and wave. Subsurface mining: underground deposits are reached by digging networks of tunnels deep underground. Strip mining: heavy machinery removes huge amounts of earth to expose and extract the coal. Mountaintop removal: in some cases, entire mountaintops are cut off to obtain the coal. Modern extraction and use began in the 1850s: the first oil well was drilled in 1859 pennsylvania.
