EnergyEnergy, as we know it, is the ability to do work. With high enough concentrations of energy, electricity is able to be produced for our own usage. We can then use the electricity to power the ways of our lives.
Traditional EnergyOur traditional ways of getting energy are cheap but the prices of our sources have more than tripled since 2001. The traditional source of energy comes from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. All of these are made from organic remains buried and fossilized over millions of years. Fossil fuels are non-renewable which means it can't be used again once burned and they also provide 90 percent of the world's energy. They also pollute the atmosphere as they burn, causing health problems, acid rain, and global warming.
Fossil FuelsFossil fuels involve the burning of hydrocarbon fuels, which are the remains of the decomposition of plants and animals (ex.
© Guerito 2005
English: Taken by Neutronic
author: EIA, source URL: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oi...coal or petroleum). These power plants work by burning fossil fuels to heat water to create steam, which turns a turbine and generates electricity. Unfortunately the byproduct is the mass pollution of the earth's atmosphere.
ProsHarnessing energy from fossil fuels is based on the simple process of combustion. Burning fossil fuels can generate large amounts of electricity with a small amount of fuel. Most fossil fuels used for energy are readily available and are currently plentiful. The main fossil fuel that is used to produce energy for the masses is coal. Coal is made from decomposed plants and forests after being compressed millions of years ago. If more energy is required, more coal can be strip-mined. Coal is one of the least expensive sources of energy that we have traditionally used.
ConsMany areas have decided not to continue to use coal powered plants. They have chosen instead to use...