WORLD ENERGY NEEDS

OBJECTIVES: By the end of the class, you will be

able to:
Describe the difference between primary and
secondary energy sources.
Describe how the world’s energy needs have
changed and are likely to change in the future.
Describe how the world’s energy needs have
changed and are likely to change in the future.
Explain how to use data critically.
KEYWORDS
Energy sources, converters, renewable energy,
non-renewable energy

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ENERGY SOURCE Renewable and non-renewable Energy source
The world’s energy needs basically refers to primary and Renewable energy sources are the energy resource that
secondary energy sources around the world. cannot run out but are readily available. Eg water, wind,
Primary sources of energy are those energy resources we wood, sun, tide, etc. Renewable does not mean
find in the ground (crude oil, coal, gas, uranium) or in our reusable. It means always and readily available.
environ (wind, water waves, biomass) that we can use directly Non-renewable energy sources are the energy resources
or use to produce other energy resources. that runs out and get finished when used. Eg coal, oil, gas
Energy converters are used to convert one source of energy and uranium
to another. E.g Power stations, Refineries, etc.
Secondary energy sources are those energy resources gotten
from the primary energy sources.
 FOSSIL FUEL
Fossil fuels are non-renewable source of energy which are formed from plants and animals
that lived millions years ago.
Trees that died millions years ago and were covered and compressed by mud and sand and
were not able to decay or rot due to absence of oxygen. Thermal energy from beneath the
earth and pressure of the mud then changed the trees into coal.
Also, sea creature with shells made of calcium carbonate when dead were covered and
compressed by mud and sand. The combined pressure of the mud and thermal energy turned
them into oil and gas.

FOSSIL FUEL POWER STATION

In the power station the fossil
fuel (coal, oil, or gas is burned to
turn water into steam
The steam drives a turbine,
which is like a giant fan that
spins round
The turbine is connected to the
generator, which produces a
voltage in the coils around it.
The steam is turned back to
water in the condenser.
 GENERATING ELECTRICITY
Generating electricity means producing a voltage so that a current can flow. Electricity can be
produced by using a bar magnet and coils of wire. If the coils of wire are connect to a voltmeter
and the magnet is moved towards the coil, there would be positive reading on the voltmeter.

If the magnet is held stationary, the reading on the voltmeter goes to zero. But when the
magnet is moved away from the coil, there would be negative reading on the voltmeter. This
shows that current has been produced/induced in the coil of wire. Current will flow if the
voltmeter is replaced by a lamp. To induce voltage, movement between the magnet and the
coil is needed.
HOW TO INCREASE THE STRENGTH OF SIMPLE GENERATOR
THE INDUCED VOLTAGE The simplest form of a generator is a bicycle
 Move the magnet or the coil faster. dynamo. The dynamo uses the motion of a
 Use a coil with an iron core. bicycle tyre to light the lamps on the bicycle
 Use more turns on the coil.
 Use a stronger magnet.
 POWER STATION

The power station uses large generators. It uses moving electromagnet instead of
permanent magnets. This is because electromagnet can produce much a stronger
magnetic field than a permanent magnet hence the induced voltage would be bigger.
 RENEWABLE ENERGY: Solar, Geothermal,
Water and Wind power
SOLAR ENERGY GEOTHERMAL POWER
Solar energy is the energy gotten from the sun. Solar cells Geothermal is the energy source that uses the thermal
and solar water heater can be used to convert solar energy energy underground to produce electricity. As one goes
into electrical and thermal energy. down into the earth, the temperature rises about 250C for
Solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts the every kilometer closer to the center of the earth. This
energy of light directly into electricity. It has no moving parts temperature can be used to generate electricity.
like generator. Each solar cell on its own does not produce a When water is pumped down into the ground far enough,
big voltage so one needs to connect lots of solar cells it is heated enough to be converted into steam. This steam
together. can be used to drive a turbine which in turn drives a
Solar water the heater consists of pipes inside a panel. The generator.
pipes are connected to a tank so that cold water flows into Advantages
the pipes. It gets heated by the sun and hot water flows out. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy resource.
A solar water heating system can be used to heat a hot There are no fuel costs and no harmful polluting gases are
water tank. produced.
Advantages The hot water and steam can be used to heat buildings
Solar energy is a renewable energy resource. directly.
There are no fuel costs and no harmful polluting gases are Disadvantages
produced. Most parts of the world do not have suitable areas where
Solar cells can provide electricity in remote locations where geothermal energy can be exploited.
there is no mains electricity.
Disadvantages
Solar cells are expensive and inefficient, so the cost of their
electricity is high.
Solar cells do not work at night and not as well when it is
cloudy.
 WATER ENERGY
WAVE POWER
HYROELECTRICITY Wave power uses the force of wave to generate
Hydroelectricity involves the use of water (liquid not electricity. The wave forces water up and down
steam) to drive a turbine in order to generate inside a chamber on the shore line. The motion of
electricity. It is used to generate electricity by the water forces air backwards and forwards through
allowing water from a reservoir to flow down pipes a turbine, which makes a generator spine to generate
inside the tank and drive the turbines. electricity.
The water in the reservoir is a store of gravitational There is no constant power generation in wave
potential energy (GPE). The GPE changes to kinetic power. The amount of electricity generated depends
energy of the water and turbines. on how often the wave comes.
Tides
Huge amounts of water move in and out of river mouths each day because of the tides. A tidal barrage
is a barrier built over a river estuary to make use of the kinetic energy in the moving water. The barrage
contains electricity generators, which are driven by the water rushing through tubes in the barrage.
Advantages
 Water power in its various forms is a renewable energy resource.
 There are no fuel costs and no harmful polluting gases are produced.
 Tidal barrages and hydroelectric power stations are very reliable and can be easily switched on.
Disadvantages
 It has been difficult to scale up the designs for wave machines to produce large amounts of electricity.
 Tidal barrages destroy the habitats of estuary species, including wading birds.
 Dams flood farmland and push people from their homes.
 The rotting vegetation underwater releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas.
 WIND ENERGY
Energy is obtained from wind through wind turbine. A wind turbine is a large wind mill that is used to
generate electricity. Wind turbine can produce a power of about 2MW. The power output of a wind
turbine varies because wind does not always blow.

WIND
TURBINE

Advantages
 Wind is a renewable energy resource. There are no fuel costs and no harmful polluting gases
are produced.
Disadvantages
 Wind farms are noisy and may spoil the view for people living near them.
 The amount of electricity generated depends on the strength of the wind. If there is no wind,
there is no electricity.
 NUCLEAR POWER
Nuclear power station uses Nuclear fuels which release energy through nuclear reactions, rather
than through chemical reactions. The main nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium. In a nuclear
power station, the energy released is used to boil water. The expanding steam spins turbines,
which then drive generators to produce electricity.
Advantages
Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear fuels do not produce carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide.
Disadvantages
Like the fossil fuels, nuclear fuels are non-renewable energy resources. They will run out one day
if we keep on using them.
If there is an accident, large amounts of radioactive material could be released into the
environment. In addition, nuclear waste remains dangerously radioactive and harmful to health
for thousands of years. It must be stored safely.