[Physics Class Notes] on Energy-Resources and Environmental-impacts Pdf for Exam

Doing everything requires some amount of energy be it moving, walking, talking even in thinking.Energy is required in every life form. Without energy nothing could have been possible and we could have  stayed in the stone age. The primary source of energy is the natural resources in human activities. 

What are  the Energy Resources ?

Energy is the capacity to do work which is required for evolution of life forms on earth as well as for life processes . Also energy resources are termed as something that can produce heat, move objects, power life or produce electricity. Energy is stored in matter which is termed as fuel . With the increasing population and evolution as well as technological advancement  human energy consumption has grown steadily . In today’s society, humans consume as much as about 110 times as early humans because early humans had modest energy requirements, which mostly included  food and fuel for fires to cook and keep warm .  

There are two types of Energy resources : Nonrenewable and renewable.  A Non-renewable resource is that natural substance which cannot  be replenished with the speed at which it is consumed, such as fossil fuels and nuclear material, are removed from the earth and can be depleted. These resources have been the most used type of energy resource in the modern era. While the Renewable resources are those whose supply replenishes naturally or can be sustained eg the sunlight used in solar power and the wind used to power wind turbines replenish themselves

What are Some Environmental Impacts

All energy sources whether its renewable or nonrenewable have some impact on our environment but non-renewable resources such as  Fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—do  substantially more harm  than renewable energy sources by most measures, including air and water pollution, damage to public health, wildlife and habitat loss, water use, land use, and global warming emissions ultimately triggering to climate change, poor air quality, soil erosion ,water contamination ,etc

Renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower also have significant environmental impacts upto some extent.

Understanding and analyzing  the major potential environmental issues associated with each renewable energy source, steps can be taken   accordingly to avoid or minimize these impacts as they become a larger portion of our electric supply.

There are various factors governing the type and intensity of environmental impact depending upon the geographical location ,technology used ,etc

Some of the Major Environmental Issues Caused By Energy Resources are as Follows:

The non-renewable resources such as coal and petroleum cause harm to the environment in the form of air and water pollution, generation of toxic wastes, etc. Coal gives out sulphur as emissions which harm the trees as well as , their extraction plants contaminate rivers and lakes thus affecting  the aquatic ecosystem adversely.

The production and usage of oil releases CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Wind energy  is among most abundant, inexhaustible, and affordable, energy resources which makes it a viable and large-scale alternative to fossil fuels but despite its vast potential of wind energy , there are a variety of environmental impacts associated with wind power generation that must be recognized and evaluated accordingly .The major environmental impacts associated with wind power include land use issues and challenges to wildlife and habitat.

Solar energy , the sun provides a tremendous resource for generating clean and sustainable electricity but there are various environmental impact associated with it also such as land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing ,etc. The types of impacts mainly depends upon the scale of the system and the technology used—photovoltaic (PV) solar cells or concentrating solar thermal plants.

Biomass power plants  involve the combustion of a feedstock to generate electricity. Thus, biomass plants raise concerns about air emissions and water use as fossil fuel plants.

Natural gas releases oxides of nitrogen and even methane when which affect people and animals that use water from the affected water bodies.