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HO8102
As human population has increased, the use of fossil fuels and its potential
population has also increased. Energy becomes an indispensable factor in the
survival of people and nations and the progress of a country. The major uses of
energy includes: food production, and agriculture, transportation, residential and
commercial lighting, cooling and heating systems, mining, smelting and industrial
processes and in the generation of electricity. Increased efficiency in the use of
energy, conservation and the expanded use of alternative source are essential to
attain the goal of sustainable development.
IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY
Agriculture Energy is used extensively in agriculture in the recent times w/c can be
inferred from increased in farm machineries, increased use of electricity and the
increased use of energy to produce herbicides, insecticides & fertilizers. The
impacts of energy dependence now on energy can also be felt on the prices of
commodities. Shortage of energy supplies runs the risk of food shortages in many
countries of the world. This would make us anticipate using less chemical fertilizers
and pesticides that consume a lot of energy to produce; to rely more on natural or
organic fertilizers; to practice more scientific forms of crop rotation.
Transportation is about 25% of the energy such as gasoline & diesel in the world is
used for transportation. For this reason, the demand for petroleum has increased
even faster.
Home appliances. The increasing use of energy in the home is largely due to the
increasing use of labor-saving appliances like washing machines, electric polishers,
vacuum cleaners, rice cookers and the like. The more appliances you have and the
more frequent you use them, the more energy you consume. Much worse is the
careless and unwise use of these appliances such as not switching them off when
not in use.
Industry. The production of all metals, synthetic chemicals and other materials and
the fabrication of finished products are some of the industrial processes that
consume large amounts of energy.
Energy Sources
§ About 90% of the world’s energy consumed in industrialized countries
is produced by oil, natural gas and coal.
§ These materials were buried in sediments and after millions of years were
converted into fossil fuels.
§ They are essentially nonrenewable and the resource itself is finite.
ENERGY SOURCES
Fossil fuels are stored solar energy collected by the plants through photosynthesis.
It was created from incomplete biological decomposition of dead organic matter
when they were buried and escaped oxidation. They produce hydrocarbons and
eventually fossils as sedimentary rocks.
Fossil Fuels:
Coal is a solid fossil fuel formed in several stages as buried remains of plants that
lived 300-400 million years ago were subjected to intense heat and pressure over
many millions of years. Coal contains small amounts of sulfur, released into the
atmosphere as SO2 when coal is burned.
Geothermal energy is power extracted from heat stored in the earth. This energy
originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of
minerals, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. It has been used for
bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times,
but is now better known for generating electricity. Worldwide, geothermal plants
have the capacity to generate about 10 giga watts of electricity as of 2007, and in
practice supply 0.3% of global electricity demand. An additional 28 giga watts of
direct heating capacity is installed for district heating, space heating, spas,
industrial processes, desalination and agricultural applications.
Solar energy is a radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by
humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies.
Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such
as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the
available renewable energy on earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available
solar energy is used.
Tidal power, sometimes also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that
converts the energy of tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. Tidal
energy works from the power of changing tides. Tidal changes in sea level can be
used to generate electricity, by building a dam across a coastal bay or estuary with
large differences between low and high tides. Tide is the daily rise and fall of ocean
levels relative to coastlines, as a result of the gravitational force of the moon and
sun as well as the revolution of the earth.
Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic
matter in the absence of oxygen. Biogas originates from biogenic material and is a
type of biofuel. One type of biogas is produced by anaerobic
digestion or fermentation of biodegradable materials such
as biomass, manure, sewage, municipal waste,green waste and energy crops. This
type of biogas comprises primarily methane and carbon dioxide. The other principal
type of biogas is wood gaswhich is created by gasification of wood or other biomass.
This type of biogas is comprised primarily of nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon
monoxide, with trace amounts of methane.
Energy crisis is any great bottleneck (or price rise) in the supply of energy resources
to an economy. In popular literature though, it often refers to one of the energy
sources used at a certain time and place.
Pipeline failures and other accidents may cause minor interruptions to energy
supplies. A crisis could possibly emerge after infrastructure damage from severe
weather. Attacks by terrorists or militia on important infrastructure are a possible
problem for energy consumers, with a successful strike on a Middle East facility
potentially causing global shortages. Political events, for example, when
governments change due to regime change, monarchy collapse, military
occupation, and coup may disrupt oil and gas production and create shortages.
Energy Conservation is achieved through efficient energy use, in which case energy
use is decreased while achieving a similar outcome, or by reduced consumption of
energy services. Energy conservation may result in increase of financial
capital, environmental value, national security, personal security, and human
comfort Individuals and organizations that are direct consumers of energy may want
to conserve energy in order to reduce energy costs and promote economic security.
Industrial and commercial users may want to increase efficiency and thus maximize
profit.