Burning fossil fuels in power stations

The heat released from burning fossil fuels is used to boil water to produce steam. The steam is heated to really high temperatures in order that it is at high pressure and can turn gigantic steam turbines. Some of the energy of the steam is changed into movement, or kinetic energy, as the turbines spin. The turbines are hooked up to the coils of giant generators. The coils carry a current and act as electromagnets. As the turbines spin, they produce an electric current in the fixed coils surrounding them. This is fed into a power supply grid and carried to wherever in the network it is needed.

Power stations can’t store surplus electricity, so electricity generation has to match demand. The power firms have to judge how much power will be required. During periods of hot weather, electricity demand may increase as more folks use air conditioning to keep their houses and offices cool. If power corporations’ estimates are wrong, people may experience power cuts.

Power stations aren’t really efficient, and between 50 and 70 % of the energy contained in the ordinary fuel is wasted. Some of the heat energy will heat the encircling air and escape thru the boiler chimneys. The heat energy locked away in the steam cannot all be moved to the spinning turbines. Though the steam is cooler when it leaves matched against when it enters the turbines, it’s still warm. The steam is carried to the cooling towers, where it cools sufficiently to compact back to water. The warm water is then emptied Into a nearby stream or sea, where it can cause thermal (heat) pollution. Hot water holds less oxygen than cold water. The addition of a large amount of luke-warm water can cause animals, such as fish, to ‘suffocate’, as they are unable to extract enough oxygen from the water.

Combined heat and energy generating plants

Some power stations, called mixed heat and power generation plants (CHP), try to make use of the waste heat. They pipe the waste hot water to surrounding businesses and houses to provide heating. There are numerous such units in Germany, and many tiny towns are reaping rewards from this cheap energy source. However , this is only possible with tiny and medium-sized energy generation stations that are built close to cities. In many states, especially the United Kingdom, power stations are found in more remote locations and so this power source wouldn’t be as practical as even solar power.

Sarah Green is an environmental campaigner, activist, and robust believer in home made energy. In her spare time, she reports on DIY alternative energy plans and kits.

The battery

A convenient store of energy is the electric cell or battery. These are used each day to power torches, radios, toys and lots of other gizmos. The most common form of battery contains carbon and zinc separated by a solution of ammonium chloride. When the battery is attached to an electric circuit, its stored chemical power is changed into electric energy. The battery continues to supply an electrical current until all the chemicals have reacted with one another. Then, the battery is said to be ‘flat’. Batteries comprising nickel and cadmium (Nicads) can be recharged by passing a tiny electrical current thru the battery for one or two hours. This makes them last much longer.

Flywheels

Space stations use solar generating panels and fuel cells as their energy source. This energy is then stored in batteries. These batteries are large and expensive and need to be replaced each 5 years. But new space stations and satellites may use flywheels to store the energy. These can last as long as 20 years. Flywheels are employed in engines, but now scientists are designing far more efficient versions. When energy is used to spin a flywheel, the energy is converted to kinetic energy. The flywheel stores the energy mechanically in the form of kinetic energy. The quicker the flywheel spins, the more energy it stores. This energy can be converted to electricity. The new flywheels will be as small as just fifteen centimetres across, and made of highly strong, yet lightweight, materials. They will spin up to 600,000 times each minute, and can store 8 times more energy than a battery of the same mass.

Fuel Cells

It’s feasible that in the near future, car engines, batteries in laptops and even power stations might be replaced by fuel cells. Fuel cells date back to 1839, but until recently, only the US State Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) made use of them.

All fuel cells are energy converters, and work on identical elementary principle. They have two electrodes separated by an electrolyte, a substance that conducts electricity. A fuel like hydrogen enters at one electrode and oxygen enters at the other. They undergo a reaction, which produces an electrical current. When the fuel is hydrogen, the only waste product is pure water.

Fuel cells have many advantages. They convert energy much more efficiently than typical power sources: as an example, a fuel cell is two times as efficient as a vehicle gas engine and produces virtually no pollution. Additionally, they do not contain moving parts, so don’t produce any noise or vibration. An operating fuel cell is so very quiet and does not have wear and tear. However , there are a considerable number of issues to beat. Now, fuel cells are extremely costly, although this is thanks to the fact that only small numbers are being made. The price will fall once large quantities are produced. There are also issues of trustworthiness with some fuel cells. Additionally, some larger fuel cells have a poor power to weight and volume ratio. This suggests that for their weight or volume, they produce relatively small quantities of power.

Sarah Green is an environmental campaigner, activist, and robust disciple of being energy self-sufficient. In her free time, she reports on alternative DIY energy blueprints and kits, for example the ben ford homemade energy download.

The particles and gases from car exhaust pipes can create photochemical smog. This sort of smog is particularly common in hot, dry and bright cities like Athens in Greece, Cairo in Egypt and Mexico City. The vehicle exhaust pipes pump out gases like nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and ozone that react together in the sunlight. The result is a smoggy haze over the city.

LA in California, USA, has suffered badly during the past from smog. The smog was due partly to the exhaust fumes from millions of cars, but also from the local geography. The town lies by the coast and is encircled by mountains. In certain climatic conditions, the smoggy air would be encircled over the city, and air quality would fall steadily until atmospheric conditions changed and the smoggy air was replaced by cleaner air. A hazy layer can still be seen over Los Angeles, but the level of pollutants has fallen dramatically due to new legislation and improved pollution control on vehicles.

Acid rain

Coal-fired power stations release sulphur dioxide, especially those burning lignite coal. This gas, along with nitrous oxides from vehicle exhausts, reacts with water in the air to form weak acids. These acids create acid rain rain that’s got a lower pH than standard. Acid rain erodes and damages the outside of buildings and statues, particularly than made from limestone.

Acid rain falling on conifer forests in mountainous areas of Scandinavia, North America and central Europe has been the cause of longterm damages to the trees. The soils become more acid and this leads to damaging compounds,eg aluminium, to be released. The first indications of damage are a tree’s needles becoming brown and full branches dying. Increased astringency in the soil damages trees ‘ roots, and this decreases their power to take up water and nutrients. The trees become more vulnerable to frost and illness. Eventually, they die.

Lakes are also exposed. The acidic rainwater drains off soils into the lake, leading it to become more acid. Aluminum in the water causes the gills of fish to provide more mucus, and this prevents them from getting sufficient oxygen from the water. In extraordinary cases, all life in the water may die.

Global warming

Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is called a ‘greenhouse ‘ gas, as it traps heat in the atmosphere. The presence of some greenhouse gases keeps the Earth at a temperature of roughly 15C, which allows life to survive. A increase in the use of fossil fuels has caused the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to increase, too. More carbon dioxide implies more heat is trapped, and this has caused the average worldwide temperature to rise. This is called global warming.

The exposed solar power effects of global warming are uncertain, but it’s probable that the skyrocketing temperatures will disrupt climates around the globe, causing some regions to have lower rainfall and other regions to have more. The hotter temperatures will cause ice caps and glaciers to melt, which, mixed with the growth of water in oceans, will cause sea levels to rise, flooding low lying areas which are heavily populated. Acute weather events such as droughts and storms could also become more common.

Sarah Green is an environmental campaigner, activist, and strong believer in home made energy. In her spare time, she reports on DIY alternative energy blueprints and kits.