Answer to Question #193942 in Electrical Engineering for Diego

Question

Power stations use different energy sources such as coal, gas, oil, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind farms, tidal and bio mass; choose three from these energy sources. Then compare them in terms of sustainability, perceived safety, cost per megawatt (be approximate), life span and post-service decommissioning.

Answer 1

Over millions of years ago, fossil fuels evolved when dead plants and animals were exposed to intense heat and pressure at the Earth's surface. In this natural process, the bones and other organic matter were converted to high carbon substances that produce energy when burned out. Three primary fossil fuels are available.

Oil is an umbrella term for goods like palm oil, which are transformed into well-known oils like coal, jet fuel, kerosene, and diesel. Oil is also used interchangeably with petroleum and extracted by boiling or hydraulic breakage (also known as fracking).

Coal is a nearby rock that is one of the most plentiful fossil fuels in the world. It is mined by surface mining and underground mining (using machinery to clean off the top layers of rock and soil) (using machines and miners to remove deep coal underground).

Natural gas is an oil-like blend of gasses found beneath the Earth's atmosphere. Boiling and mining advances have released substantial natural gas deposits.

Fossil fuels are often considered dirty sources of energy because they cost the atmosphere a lot – and often permanent. Carbon emissions, or the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from these fuels, have been produced over centuries and cannot be retrieved. In addition, the universe only has a finite quantity of these commodities.

Non-fossil energy includes both green and alternative energy, which is often used interchangeably but does not mean the same thing. In general, alternative energy means all energy is not derived from fossil fuel but not from renewable sources alone.

For instance, the most common use of nuclear power is uranium, which is an abundant but not technically renewable fuel. On the other hand, renewable energy requires natural and continuous sources such as sun and wind.

There are five primary renewable and alternative fuels.

Wind power is produced when a wind turbine or an offshore windmill is spun.

Solar technology exploits the sun's energy in two ways: transforming the light from the sun to electricity directly at sunlight (think solar panels), or solar heat energy, which uses the heat of the sun to generate electricity, a way that works even at sunset.

As fast-flowing water transforms turbines into a dam to provide electricity, hydropower is produced.

At power plants, nuclear energy is provided by the nuclear fission process. The energy produced by nuclear reactions is used to generate electricity.

Biofuels, also known as biomass, are generated using sun-stored energy in organic materials (wood, crops and waste, food, and animal manure). Since they found out how to burn wood to produce flames, humans have used biomass. Liquid biofuels, including ethanol, also release chemical heat energy.

Renewable and renewable energy sources are also classified as sustainable energies because their CO2 emissions are much lower than those of fossil fuels. But the environmental footprint is not without them.

For instance, the production of hydropower emits less carbon than the production of fossil fuels. But they are damming water to build water reserves in the flooding of the valley, destroying local vegetation and livelihoods. In another example, green biofuels are grown on vast land and often produce more significant carbon emissions than fossil fuels.

Other issues like protection are also important. The chances of a nuclear meltdown are very slim, but the consequences would be disastrous if one happened. In particular, the growth of nuclear technology has been reduced by concern about hazards associated with running nuclear power plants.