Comparison/Contrast of Energy Sources
Energy: Nuclear Fusion, Hydroelectric, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells
In today’s world, where everyone owns an electronic appliance, energy is an extremely valuable resource and in high demand. Though in the past this energy was provided by burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, this way of providing energy can’t last much longer due to the dwindling amount of fossil fuels and the damage it causes to the environment. Therefore, scientists have been searching for new ways of providing energy. They hoped to find inexpensive and eco-friendly sources. Some of those solutions include hydroelectric energy, hydrogen fuel cells, and nuclear fusion.
Hydroelectric energy is a reliable and easy to obtain source of energy. In order to produce energy, all that is required is flowing water. Since much of the world is covered by rivers, oceans, lakes, and many other bodies of water, hydroelectric energy is a very plausible replacement for fossil fuels. Energy is obtained through the use of a dam on a river or pumped storage facilities. hoover Dam – located on the colorado river
A hydroelectric dam is used on decent sized rivers that have a drop in elevation; both of these conditions have to be met in order for a dam to be very productive. The reservoir behind the dam itself will hold an insurmountable amount of water and pressure that push on the dam. At the bottom of the dam is an intake opening that allows the pressurized water to flow through. The pressure of the water above will push water through this opening at a very quick pace. The flow of water will run through a turbine and spin it before flowing out on the other side of the dam. The turbine is connected to a generator above by a generator shaft. As the turbine is spinning, it is providing the mechanical energy needed to run the generator, which, in turn, is transforming the mechanical energy into electricity through the use of magnets.
Pumped storage facilities are based on the same principles, including the
In today’s world, where everyone owns an electronic appliance, energy is an extremely valuable resource and in high demand. Though in the past this energy was provided by burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, this way of providing energy can’t last much longer due to the dwindling amount of fossil fuels and the damage it causes to the environment. Therefore, scientists have been searching for new ways of providing energy. They hoped to find inexpensive and eco-friendly sources. Some of those solutions include hydroelectric energy, hydrogen fuel cells, and nuclear fusion.
Hydroelectric energy is a reliable and easy to obtain source of energy. In order to produce energy, all that is required is flowing water. Since much of the world is covered by rivers, oceans, lakes, and many other bodies of water, hydroelectric energy is a very plausible replacement for fossil fuels. Energy is obtained through the use of a dam on a river or pumped storage facilities. hoover Dam – located on the colorado river
A hydroelectric dam is used on decent sized rivers that have a drop in elevation; both of these conditions have to be met in order for a dam to be very productive. The reservoir behind the dam itself will hold an insurmountable amount of water and pressure that push on the dam. At the bottom of the dam is an intake opening that allows the pressurized water to flow through. The pressure of the water above will push water through this opening at a very quick pace. The flow of water will run through a turbine and spin it before flowing out on the other side of the dam. The turbine is connected to a generator above by a generator shaft. As the turbine is spinning, it is providing the mechanical energy needed to run the generator, which, in turn, is transforming the mechanical energy into electricity through the use of magnets.
Pumped storage facilities are based on the same principles, including the