Thursday, January 24, 2008

Fossil Fuels Generate Electricity

Countries around the world are using coal because to generate electricity.

It takes a very long time for trees, ferns, and other plants to turn into coal. Dead plants usually decay completely, leaving no remains. However in swampy areas the process of decay is very slow. Dead plants pile up and form the spongy materials known as peat. In places Ireland and Scotland, peat is dug up and dried.

In facts generating electricity from coal is cheaper than the cost of producing electricity from nature gas. Coal is exported to many different countries, but most trade is with Canada, Brazil, Netherlands, and Italy. More than half coals exported are used for making steel.

This is important because the coal to make to start generator and now you can use electricity. The coals are cheaper. It costs more money to make electricity from wind, and most people aren’t willing to pay more on their monthly utility bills. It is good for the poor country. It is dug up by opencast quarrying called strip mining. Giant machines cut a trench through the soil and surface layers of rock to reach the coal seam. Well it all runs on coal, or mostly coal. Same for the stores, the malls office buildings and factories- they all run on electricity, which means they run on coal

fossil fuels killing the environment


Fossil fuels work with natural gas, coal and oil? Just one tank of gasoline can take one car hundreds of miles away, but once you start the engine, than the natural gas will pollute the environment.


We use fossil fuels to heat our homes, run our cars, and to power industrial plants.
Global warming is one of the serious challenges facing us today and because that, fossil fuels let out natural gas and the industrial plants are using them.


Many fossil fuels are used by industrials plants, our cars and our houses.

Generator Generation!!!



To start with coal and oil are fossil fuels found deep in the ground.
Fossil fuels have been formed over centuries by remains of animals.
If we were to completely run out of fossil fuels it would take centuries for more to form.


The generator was invented in 1935 by Van De Graff.
When you burn coal and oil it powers a generator.
The generator is used almost every where (where electricity is required which is almost every where.)


The way coal, oil and a generator are used together affect the environment because the smoke the coal or the oil gives out when it is burnt is very pollutant. It affects our society because this process gives us electricity.


Fossil fuels like coal and oil are burnt they are very pollutant to the atmosphere and are some of the main causes of global warming.
We have alternative energy so why not use it?


Fossil fuels like coal and oil are also running out it would take centuries more to create more. We have a lot of alternative energy like solar, geothermal and hydroelectric energy which are renewable.


By Ameera Patheria


When Fossil Fuels run out


Imagine a world with-out Fossil Fuel. No electricity to make our lights or fans work, and the only way to stop that is to start saving electricity, start thinking up more alternative ways to make energy. There will be lots and lots of problems when Fossil Fuels run out, some we don’t even realize now...
For starters, all the people working in the factories that make energy from Fossil Fuel (the energy we use at the moment) will lose there jobs. That’s because the factories will be no use as there will be no more oil. They will all have no job and that will be a big problem for them.
A good thing that will happen after we use up all the Fossil Fuels is that all the pollution that comes out of chimneys of the factories will stop as there will be no more factories. The pollution that comes out of those chimneys at the moment is very bad it is causing a big bit in global warming which is a huge, world wide problem.
Something more than that will happen (and is already starting to happen) is that we shall have too start using alternative forms of energy. Scientists are always trying to find out new alternative ways to make energy.
There are lots of alternative forces scientists have already leant like wind energy, solar energy and geothermal energy. There are good and bad side of for all of these.
Wind energy is one of the sources that have good and bad sides. The good side is that wind energy doesn’t pollute like Fossil Fuels. The bad side is that if we needed to get enough energy we would need to put up wind mills all over the place.
Solar power is another way to get electricity. The bad side of solar power is that it relies on the sun and for it to get enough of that type of energy we would have to cover lots of the desert with solar panels. The good part is that for houses in hot places on earth solar panels can be built onto the roof where it can get at the sun.
The third type of alternative energy that I am going to talk about is geothermal energy. This means digging down to the core of the earth and taking up the hot water to use for heating houses. This is good because the only pollution is water vapor. The bad side is this is that digging down a long way like that can cause land slides.
All these are good but it would be a lot better if we could find some way of making energy without a down-side.

Reporter: Eloise Edwards

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

IGCC, A Step Into The Future


IGCC is a guaranteed way to reduce pollution while using coal. It is a new way to turn coal into energy. It is also guaranteed to be more efficient and powerful.
IGCC stands for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle. It is a more efficient and stronger way to use coal. The coal is turned into a gas that is mixed with oxygen. That gas is burned to make smoke. The smoke rises and turns the turbine of a generator. Then the extra smoke is cleaned and is turned into steam. That steam turns another turbine of a generator and then is used again and again. That is a solution of using less coal.
Greenhouse gases are destroying the atmosphere. The biggest effect of greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide (CO2.) IGCC captures the CO2 in a concentrated stream. That makes it easier to turn it into another product. Also by using the combined cycle, when the steam is let out it is not as dirty as just plain smoke from burned coal.
Using the combined cycle, we use less coal because using one batch of coal equals twice the amount of electricity then normal. It also has twice the amount of efficiency.
So we should all use IGCC because it is a proven improvement to the environment and to the earth.

feel the heat

The world is getting hot!! Because the smoke is causing global
warming.
The smoke causes climate change! The temperature is getting
hot. That is called climate change. It is caused by gases that are
produced by vehicles that burn fuel and heat up the atmosphere
around us.
We use fossil fuel to heat our home, run our car and to power
industrial plant. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable rescore.
Although fossil fuel have been around long before humans
even discovered fire, our prehistoric ancestors had no use for
them. In the late 1800`s, coal and gas were used as heat and
light sources.
Global warming air quality deterioration, oil spills, and acid Rain.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Why do they call it Fossil Fuels?


Why do they call it fossil fuels ?


Did you know that creatures millions of years ago are used in daily use? Did you also know that they power your house? Well if you are saying “Yeah right,” then please read on.

As we know, millions of years ago animals still lived on this planet, but they still died on this planet too. Those pre-historic fossils were buried under layers and layers of dirt. As these fossils rot beneath the Earth, above the Earth plants and creatures grow and apply pressure on the fossils and pressure comes with heat.

So with the heat and pressure the chemicals from the fossils are squeeze out and mixed with the natural chemicals. Finally the miners drill it out and sell them to factories which add other chemicals to create petroleum, oil and other gases that they need. This entire process takes about 1 to 2 million years, the drilling takes about 3-10 years and they go 1800 meters under the ground.
This oil is usually found in America, Australia and Africa. It’s usually found in these countries because they are quite warm and they have many caves and mines. The first use of fossil fuels in World War 2, this is because America uses about 17 million barrels per day. America also uses 26% of the world’s energy.


By Joshua Tandon