Exam 16: Renewable Energy Alternatives

Is the use of biofuels for power generation economically feasible and sustainable? Why or why not?

Use the figure above to answer the following question -The smallest amount of electricity generation is from ______________.

Use the figure above to answer the following question -The United States generates more electricity from ____________ than from any other renewable energy source.

As of 2011, the nation leading in generating wind -power is ____________

Corn-produced ethanol ____________

Whether using a food crop as a source of biofuels is environmentally sustainable would have to consider all of the following, except ____________.

____________ built the first offshore wind farm in 1991.

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following: -Rapidly growing and increasingly cheaper renewable energy resources

Briefly discuss the pros and cons of hydropower.

Briefly discuss environmental impacts and economics of wind energy.

When hydrogen is burned as a fuel, the primary waste product produced is ____________

U.S. hydropower dam construction was greatest during the ____________

Globally, more than 80% of all primary energy for todayʹs economies comes from ____________.

The first stage in generating power from a hydrogen fuel cell is to ____________

Discuss the conventional alternatives to fossil fuels. Why are we not using more renewables?

Harvesting fuelwood at unsustainably high rates often leads to ____________

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following: -Ocean-derived energy resource in wide commercial use

Solar power generating facilities that generate electricity at large centralized facilities and transmit that power to homes and businesses through the electric grid are called ____________

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. The United States consumes 25% of the worldʹs petroleum. Most is used for transportation, and most of it is imported. In 1992, after the first Gulf War, the federal government passed the Energy Policy Act, whose goal was to replace transportation-related petroleum with alternative fuels. Biodiesel made from vegetable oil or animal fat is an economical alternative to petroleum-based fuels. It is safe, biodegradable, nontoxic, and has the highest energy balance of any liquid fuel. Unlike unrefined oils that can be burned directly as fuels, biodiesel can be used in conventional diesel engines without engine modification. It reduces wear without compromising performance, due to its high lubricity. It is renewable and emits far less air pollution when combusted as compared to petrodiesel. The raw material used to produce biodiesel exists in billions of gallons of vegetable oil used by restaurants each year, as well as in crops. Processing biodiesel yields an added benefit-its by-product, glycerine, is used to make soap. Although biodiesel burns well in pure form (B100), commonly it is blended with petrodiesel in mixtures such as B20 and B5, which reduce toxic air pollution proportional to their biodiesel content. Biodiesel is currently available at almost 500 filling stations nationwide. Demand is increasing due to federal and state tax incentives as well as the increased price and decreased availability of petrodiesel. More than 600 domestic fleets use biodiesel, including the military, NASA, Yellowstone National Park, and local governments. Many school districts use biodiesel-powered school buses. Musicians Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, and Willie Nelson fuel their tour buses with biodiesel. Nelson, a lifelong supporter of American farmers, who benefit when their crops are used for fuel, sells his own brand, BioWillie Biodiesel, at many truck stops. Because biodiesel can be manufactured locally, fuel transportation costs are low, and dependence on foreign petroleum and the need for domestic oil exploration and development of sensitive wildlife areas, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, can be reduced when biodiesel is used as an alternative fuel. There is concern, however, that biodiesel from crops may not be sustainable in the long term. Crops which are potentially food for humans, such as rape seed and soy, affect the price of foods and also require land, pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation which may contribute to environmental degradation and stress on already limited resources. -A major barrier preventing more widespread use of biodiesel is ____________.

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. The United States consumes 25% of the worldʹs petroleum. Most is used for transportation, and most of it is imported. In 1992, after the first Gulf War, the federal government passed the Energy Policy Act, whose goal was to replace transportation-related petroleum with alternative fuels. Biodiesel made from vegetable oil or animal fat is an economical alternative to petroleum-based fuels. It is safe, biodegradable, nontoxic, and has the highest energy balance of any liquid fuel. Unlike unrefined oils that can be burned directly as fuels, biodiesel can be used in conventional diesel engines without engine modification. It reduces wear without compromising performance, due to its high lubricity. It is renewable and emits far less air pollution when combusted as compared to petrodiesel. The raw material used to produce biodiesel exists in billions of gallons of vegetable oil used by restaurants each year, as well as in crops. Processing biodiesel yields an added benefit-its by-product, glycerine, is used to make soap. Although biodiesel burns well in pure form (B100), commonly it is blended with petrodiesel in mixtures such as B20 and B5, which reduce toxic air pollution proportional to their biodiesel content. Biodiesel is currently available at almost 500 filling stations nationwide. Demand is increasing due to federal and state tax incentives as well as the increased price and decreased availability of petrodiesel. More than 600 domestic fleets use biodiesel, including the military, NASA, Yellowstone National Park, and local governments. Many school districts use biodiesel-powered school buses. Musicians Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, and Willie Nelson fuel their tour buses with biodiesel. Nelson, a lifelong supporter of American farmers, who benefit when their crops are used for fuel, sells his own brand, BioWillie Biodiesel, at many truck stops. Because biodiesel can be manufactured locally, fuel transportation costs are low, and dependence on foreign petroleum and the need for domestic oil exploration and development of sensitive wildlife areas, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, can be reduced when biodiesel is used as an alternative fuel. There is concern, however, that biodiesel from crops may not be sustainable in the long term. Crops which are potentially food for humans, such as rape seed and soy, affect the price of foods and also require land, pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation which may contribute to environmental degradation and stress on already limited resources. -Biodiesel is to ____________ as ethanol is to gasoline.