SEARCH        RSS
 

Energy Book Fossil Fuels

The Great All-In-One
Fossil Fuel Centerfold
A web extra from Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, authors of
"Who Turned Out The Lights? Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis"

Anyone who's traveled abroad knows how handy it is to master a couple of basic phrases in the local tongue. If you can say "please," "thank you," and "how much is this garish T-shirt?" you can generally get the help you need. The same principle applies to the energy issue. Master just a few basic phrases and concepts, and you're a long way toward grasping the key points.

Here's our fossil fuel centerfold [centerfold?! absolutely - get the book and see this feature in its natural environment] to help you get on top of the energy debate.

Type of fuel How It’s Used Fossil Fuel? How Much Do We Have? Renewable? The Big Question
Nearly 70 percent of energy in the United States is used for either transportation or electricity. They’re called fossil fuels because they’re created when long- dead plants and animals are turned into fuel after lying under the Earth’s crust for millions of years. Fossil fuels are responsible for 98 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. CO2 is a key cause of global warming. Do we have enough for current needs? What about the future? The EPA defines renewables as fuels that are “continuously replenished on the Earth.” We don’t have to worry about running out of them. What challenges lie ahead? What are the big decisions the country faces?
Petroleum Mostly for transportation. Every year, Americans use about a quarter of the oil produced
worldwide.		 Yes. Whether it’s crude oil, diesel, gasoline, or jet fuel, burning it releases carbon dioxide, which adds to global warming. The United States has about 2.4 percent of the world’s known oil reserves. Afraid not. We have to import it, and it’s causing global warming. Plus it won’t last forever. The big
question is what to replace it with.
Coal It’s used to generate about half of the country’s electricity. Yes, and if you’re worried about global warming, it’s one of the most dangerous. Burning it releases 25 percent more carbon dioxide than petroleum and twice as much as natural gas. A lot. The United States has the world’s largest known coal reserves, enough to last a century, maybe more. Nope. Creating it takes millions of years. Are there ways to burn coal without releasing carbon dioxide? Many experts say it’s worth working on, but it won’t be cheap. (More in Chapter 7 in the book).
Natural gas It generates about a fifth of the country’s electricity and is the main source of heat in more than half of U.S. homes. Yes, but one of the least harmful. Burning it releases less carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen than burning either oil or coal. The United States has about 3.6 percent of the world’s known reserves. Nope. Just like oil and coal, it takes millions of years to form. Natural gas can be liquefied and used to replace gasoline. Is that a good idea or not? (See Chapters 8 and 12 in the book).
Hydroelectric Dams generate about 6 percent of the country’s electricity. Nope. It’s just flowing water, and the process doesn’t pollute the air or the water. A lot, but about half the country’s hydroelectric power is in California, Oregon, and Washington state. As long as the rivers keep flowing, yes. Hydroelectric power doesn’t pollute, but damming rivers can cause problems for fish
and wildlife. (More in Chapter 10 in the book).
Solar Less than 1 percent of our energy comes from solar. It’s used mainly to generate electricity. Nope. In fact, solar doesn’t use “fuel” at all, just the sun. Plenty, but more in some places (Phoenix) than others (Seattle). We certainly hope so. No sun, no us. Solar is in its infancy, but the government hopes that it will be economically competitive by 2015. (See Chapter 10 in the book).
Wind It generates less than 1 percent of our power, mainly for electricity. Nope. Wind is created by weather patterns. There are no plants, animals, or carbon dioxide involved at all. More than enough, but like solar, some regions (such as the Great Plains) are better suited to this than others. Yes; the answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind. We’ll need to build a lot more turbines and a grid system to transport the power from the plains to the city folk. (See Chapter 10 in the book).
Geothermal Currently it supplies less than 1 percent of our electricity, but California has more than thirty plants up and running Nope, and the process releases minimal amounts of carbon dioxide. There’s quite a lot in the West, where there are a lot of volcanoes and geysers. Yes; as long as the Earth’s core is hot, we’re in business. Now we use geothermal power that’s near the Earth’s surface, but some experts say it’s possible to tap heat deep inside too. (More in Chapter 10 in the book).
Biomass and biofuels Now it’s roughly 3.6 percent of our overall energy use. You can burn this stuff in your
fireplace, but we also use biomass to generate electricity, and fuels such as ethanol to power cars.		 No. We’re talking about the current crop of plants and plant waste: trees, corn, even corn husks, peanut shells, and some garbage. Burning it releases carbon dioxide, but since plants absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, it’s basically a wash. It’s a big country with plenty of plants and trees and garbage galore. Yes; unless we wipe them out, the plants will always be with us. This is a big category, and some forms are more promising than others. (More in Chapter 12 in the book).
Nuclear It generates about 19 percent of the country’s electricity. No. Uranium doesn’t come from fossils, and generating electricity from nuclear power
produces almost no green house gases— about as much as wind power.		 The United States has about 6 percent of the world’s known recoverable uranium. Uranium ore is not renewable, but most experts believe there’s enough worldwide to go
around.		 Can we keep nuclear plants safe from terrorists and store the waste securely? (More in Chapter 9 in the book).