Geography 1500F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Wind Farm, Energy Poverty, Yasuni National Park
17 Dec 2016
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Energy sources: fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric, nuclear, wind, solar, biofuels, biomass, geothermal, tidal. Energy use by sector (economics: electricity, transport, heating and cooking. Electricity: generated by turning a turbine by steam or mechanical action (water, wind, also be produced by exciting electrons, must be transmitted to where energy is used, lots of options for electricity sources. Ricks of accidents (very low probability, but very high impact) Most hydro power linked to large dams. Drawback: flooding and toxins, reservoir displaces people, changes ecology and livelihoods, releases emissions (methane from decomposing underwater vegetation) Easy to adjust amount of power produced. Drawback: high greenhouse gas emissions, many countries are phasing coal out. Drawback: wind level varies and is not reliable, noisy for humans and birds. Solar water heating: substitutes for electricity or gas. Small solar panels can provide decentralized energy (energy produced close to where it will be used instead of storing in a large plant)
