What Is Reflection On The Impact Of Energy Essay

ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM Essay

REFLECTING ON THE IMPACT OF SCIENCE (D)

Murren Elisabeth Meers

UWC Maastricht

29th January 2017

Background:

Without energy, our world stops. Each day millions of people work to harvest energy sources like coal, oil and gas. And thousands of scientists develop new energy sources that are needed to make the energy we use cleaner and more sustainable. (Westra and Kuywenhoven 2002)

Life on earth is run by energy. We need energy in order to live and it is crucial to survival but the world in running out of the energy sources we have been taught to use for decades. We have been using energy sources that are harmful to the environment, unsustainable and destroy life on earth. In

There are a lot of energy resources but none of them are absolutely perfect. Science is crucial in helping and finding an energy source that is clean and sustainable. Science can tell us whether a particular source of energy is clean or not by looking at its waste, how it affects the environment, the people, whether or not it is sustainable and renewable. For decades we have been taught to use coal, oil, gas and fossil fuels as our source to create energy and power our cities and cars. But these resources have had damaging effects on our planet. Most of all coal, has been releasing a huge amount of carbon dioxide. For example, a large coal burning plant bruns about 3 million tons of coal and produces an outrages 11 million tons of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide causes acid rain, deforestation, the killing of fish, air pollution, the lives of people and global warming. Before the industry, there was less than 280 ppm (parts per

Hydroelectric power is one source of renewable energy which is very sustainable and clean. Through the use of science, we were able to construct this source of energy and understand how it is able to produce energy. It uses the force of the water to create energy by the use of a turbine. During the process of building the dam, carbon dioxide is released by the trucks transporting the materials. A dam is where hydroelectricity is created. The dam stores water and when the penstock (opening) opens in the dam, the gravity causes the water to fall in the penstock and turn the turbine propellers at the end of the penstock by the force of the water. The turbine propeller causes the generator to move which include electromagnets powered by the spinning of the turbine. These magnets move past the copper coil to produce electricity (flow of electrons). Power lines are then connected to the generator that carry electricity to your home and other cities. “ A coal-fired power plant uses steam to turn the turbine blades; whereas a hydroelectric plant uses falling water to turn the turbine. The results are the same” (https://water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html) , only the process is cleaner, the source is sustainable and it doenst release damagable gases like carbon dioxide. One of the most famous and fascinating dams on the planet which serves an extensive 1.3 million people