ECON 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Diesel Fuel, Ice Core, Unconventional Oil
9 Apr 2018
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Document Summary
Every aspect of production and consumption involves the use of energy. The 1st law of thermodynamics tells us that energy is not destroyed when we use it; it is simply transformed into another form. For example, when we burn fossil fuel to generate heat, we transform the energy stored into hydrocarbon molecules into heat and light; there is no loss of energy. The answer lies in the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The 2nd law tells us that systems tend towards maximum entropy (which roughly means. Thus, heat and light from fossil fuel combustion dissipates into the wider universe (disorganized form) That means we cannot easily collect it again for re-use. The energy was neatly stored in hydrogen bonds where we could access it easily; the energy after combustion is much less ordered ** To capture that energy and put it back into a more ordered state where it can be used again requires the use of additional energy**
