EPSC 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Kerogen, Qatar, Geothermal Gradient
30 May 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Sources of energy: photosynthesis: solar energy is stored in chemical hydrogen-carbon bonds. H-c bonds are created via photosynthesis by reaction of water and co2 to form sugar and oxygen: 6co2 + 12 h2o + light c6h12o6 + 6h2o +6o2. Biomass (oceanic and terrestrial: buried plants, algae and other organic remains can progressively be converted to fuels. These fuels, which include oil, gas, and coal, are called fossil fuels to emphasize that they come from ancient organisms preserved in the rock for geologic time. Other sources of energy: chemical reactions, nuclear fission, geothermal. Energy resources: human energy needs to have greatly increased in the past 150 years, and the mix of energy resources required to address those needs has changed dramatically, today, fossil fuels total more than 75% of energy supplies. Energy consumption and consequences: for reasons of economics and convenience, most industrialized nations rely primarily on oil and natural gas for their energy needs, there are notable exceptions.
