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The energy that we use in the world today
is either renewable or non-renewable.
Can you think of examples of these two types of energy sources?
Solar energy
is a renewable energy source, wind,
geothermal energy, biomass
(from organic matter) and hydropower
are also renewable energy sources.
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But most of the energy
that we use today comes from a non-renewable source, namely
from fossil fuels (coal,
oil, and gas). Uranium, which is an essential substance
for nuclear fission, is
also a non-renewable source of energy. These materials
are difficult to replace. In fact, scientists are concerned
that fossil fuels will run out because the rate at which
we are using up fossil fuels is increasing. Coal, oil
and natural gas provide us with the most economical source
of power: 95% of our commercial energy comes from fossil
fuels. |
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Launch
it ...
Have a look at the Energy
Explorer and find out how we convert energy. |
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Did
you know ... ?
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Discuss
it ...
What do you think about the amount of fossil fuels we
are using? |
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It is very difficult to find out exactly
how much fossil fuel resources are left: fossil fuels are
found all over the world and can have a great deal of impact
on politics between countries. According to investigations,
it is predicted that we will not run out for quite some time,
but that doesn’t mean that we can carry on burning more.
Although we seem to have plenty of coal, some investigations
state that we have only about 50 years of oil reserves left
at our current rate of use, and about 100 years worth of natural
gas.
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Discuss
it ...
What do you think will happen when the earth’s oil
runs out? |
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All of the energy from the sun is generated
via a process called nuclear fusion. This is when two small
atoms – usually hydrogen – are bought together to
form a larger one, giving off huge amounts of energy and radiation.
Scientists have been trying to re-create
this process here on earth for more than 20 years.
Currently, all of our nuclear power comes
from nuclear fission, a process based on splitting uranium
atoms. Nuclear fission also creates large amounts of energy,
but nuclear fusion has the potential to produce much more
energy, more safely and with less radioactive waste. Sounds
useful, doesn’t it?
So will we ever be able to generate our
power from nuclear fusion? The truth is that no one knows
the real answer. Energy has been produced by fusion in the
laboratory, but the amount of energy needed to make it happen
has been far greater than the energy produced!
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Discuss
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Is nuclear power safe? |
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Nuclear energy has both good and bad
points. It creates a huge amount of energy without using
valuable fossil fuels, but it also produces radioactive
materials that can be extremely harmful to humans, other
animals and plants. Workers at nuclear plants run a risk
due to this radioactive material, and the power plants
must be run very carefully to ensure that there are no
mistakes. Even small leaks of radioactive material into
the environment can have a serious effect. The Chernobyl
disaster in 1986 demonstrated what can go wrong. Radioactive
material escaped from a nuclear power station in the Soviet
Union and entered the earth’s atmosphere, causing
potentially huge long-term damage. |
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