Types+of+Resources

=Historic:=

__Wood:__
Wood is defined as a hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath at the bark; the xylem. Wood is also a renewable resource. The use of wood fuel dates all the way back to the neanderthals and are integral to humanity. In old times, wood was used by the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Britons, and Gauls for all of their energy. Throughout this time the wood fuel preferred was the branches of cut coppice stems bundled into groups called faggots. If the stems were larger, bent, or deformed they were of no other use to the craftsmen and were converted into charcoal. The main by-products that this fuel source created was heat and steam. With fuel being used so widely it was bound to affect the environment in a negative way. Wood burning is the cause of green house gases, deforestation, habitat destruction, and soil erosion. Although burning wood for fuel can lead to environmental disadvantages there are many good things that can be said for it. For example, there is interest in using the wood waste for fuel by forming them into pellets. Another thing that can be said for wood burning is that it is the second-leading form of renewable resources, and it is one of the most efficient and cheap way of heating.



__Geothermal:__
Geothermal energy is thermal energy stored in the earth. It is a renewable resource and was first discovered to be use for hot springs in the Paleolithic times. In Europe they would use the hot springs to feed public baths and underfloor heating.The earliest industrial exploitation began in 1827 with the use of geyser steam to extract boric acid from volcanic mud in Larderello, Italy. Geothermal energy is a great energy source because it is immune to cost fluctuations, inexpensive, and has very good sustainability due to the fact that earth is constantly producing heat and we take so little of it when intiating geothermal energy. On the other hand, geothermal energy is very expensive to drill, it releases green house gases, and can cause natural disasters, like volcanoes for exaple. Geothermal energy, when conducted, releases pollutants that contribute to global warming, acid rain, and noxious smells. Direct geothermal heating systems contain pumps and compressors that might consume energy from a polluted source, therefore making it no better than natural gas in the using of it. Geothermal energy is used in fisheries, green houses, mineral recovery, industrial process heating, and some radiators.



**__Hydropower:__**
Hydro-power is also known as hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power, or water power is defined as power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Water's power is manifested in hydrology, by forces of water on the riverbed and banks of a river. When a river is in flood, it is at it's most powerful, and moves the greatest amount of sediment. This higher force results in the removal of sediment and other material from the riverbed and banks of the river causing erosion, transport and, with lower flow, sedimentation. Hydro-power is used for irrigation, watermills, sawmills, textile mills, dock cranes, and domestic lifts. Hydro-power is a good energy source due to the fact that once a damn is constructed, electricity produced by dam systems do not produce green house gases. Another is that the build up of the water in the lake means that energy can be stored until needed, when the water is released to produce electricity. Also, the lakes water can be used for irrigation purposes. Hydro-power, or the creation of dams, has many great qualities, but dams are extremely expensive to build and must be built to a very high standard. Plus, the people and civilization that exists around the dam lives with the possibility that they may be flooded out and forced to move. One other negative is that the dam can breach, especially the old one, and cause death and the destruction of the surrounding natural enviroment, leaving the dam useless for the future. Although the use of hydr-power does not release green house gases, the enviromental consequences og hydro-power are related to encroachments upon nature due to damming or lowering the water level, changed water flow, and building of roads and power lines.



**__Oil:__**
Oil is a non-renewable resource simply due to the fact that it cannot be reproduced. There are different types of oils including Organic and Mineral oils. Oil is classified as any substance that is not mixed with water, but can possibly mix with other oils. Organic Oils are oils that are produced by plants, animals, and also through certain acids. Organic oils contain many chemicals including lipids, proteins, and also waxes. Mineral oils are the second type of oil that is called petrochemicals. The largest used mineral oil is crude oil, which originates from ancient organic resources. For example Algae and zooplankton are converted into oil through geochemical processes. Crude oil or oil itself is considered to be a Mineral Oil because it is obtained from materials such as rocks and sand. Oil today is definitely an advantage for everyday life because it can create fuel. One main advantage of using oil is that it is an easy way to produce heat from burning the oils in liquid which produces heat. Since it can create heat it also leads to another advantage which is that it can also produce electricity through mechanical work. Another advantage is that oil fuels many things. For example oil is used for fueling jets and ships which are used in helping enhance our country whether it’s in war or traveling on vacation. There are some downfalls to using oil. Oil is normally transported by ships, which can lead to oil spills which affect the environment in a drastic way. It leads to dying animals and also it poisons the water it’s spilled in. Another disadvantage is that most of the oil reserves are located in the Middle East which leads to problems depending on the relationship between those countries. However, this could cause feuds between other countries. Oil is efficient to our needs, but it also is very toxic and dangerous if not used carefully and safely.



**__Coal:__**
Coal is a type of combustible rock that is usually found in layers, normally called coal beds. This metamorphic rock can be related to other types of coal like anthracite coal. Coal is a nonrenewable resource which can be converted into many different sources of energy. Some advantages that coal has are actually the fact that it can easily create heat. Heat is definitely an advantage in our society. Igniting the coal is a simple and easy thing to do, and the heat given off can do many things whether it’s too warm up a house, or to help transport more coal to another town by train. This leads to another advantage which is that coal can be used for transportation. Not only is coal used for transportation and heat, but it also is used to help generate power plants which send out electricity to neighboring towns. This is an advantage as well because it helps us to be able to use computers, telephones, and anything that using electrical power. Since coal does have some advantages, it therefore must have a few disadvantages. One major disadvantage is that, the burning of coal emits wastes such as carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides which increase harmful greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Another disadvantage is that since we need coal now, we then must mine for coal. Mining for coal leads to damages in landscapes and the equipment used may affect the local wildlife. One last major problem that burning coal has is that if dirty coal is burned, it may cause significant pollution problems. Coal affects the environment because it can potentially pollute the air and also affect the greenhouse effect.

=Potential:=

**__Nuclear:__**
Nuclear energy is a non-renewable resource which is generated into power. Nuclear energy is useful because it helps to provide for approximately 16percent of the worlds electricity. Today our scientists are working on a new mechanism called nuclear reactors which work with nuclear fission. These fusion reactors help to produce more energy than that of the fission reactors. Nuclear energy comes from energy that is created in a nuclear reaction thus creating nuclear energy. It is produced by manmade procedures. Some advantages that nuclear energy has are that it can be produced naturally. The sun helps to create heat through these nuclear reactions. Also, those nuclear reactors are used in nuclear power plants which let out electricity to cities which is a huge advantage. The last main advantage behind nuclear energy is simply the fact that we are going to one day run out of coal and oil burning plants which pollute the air. So nuclear energy is the next step to enhancing our ways of energy resources. Nuclear power plants are a positive goal because these power plants do not release any contaminants into the air. However, there’s always a downside to everything we create in the world. Some disadvantages in nuclear energy are that nuclear explosions produce radiation which harms people and can severely injure or kill them. Nuclear reactors also consist waste which leads to waste disposal problems. Nuclear reactors also only last for about 40 or even 50 years which is not very long. Nuclear energy can be used also to create bombs which can be used to help our military become even stronger in war.



**__Fusion:__**
Fusion power is a nonrenewable resource that is generated by nuclear fusion. Fusion power is being used to form or fuse nuclei together forming a heavier and stronger nucleus. In fusing together the nuclei, this releases large amounts of energy due to the strong force of the reactants and also the increase in temperature. Scientists have recently been working on ways to increase the amount of energy created by added more watts of power. Fusion was first thought of for military purposes. However, scientists have been trying to control fusion with a fusion reactor. One advantage to controlling fusion is that it is considered to be an extremely safe task. The fission reactors generate heat which burn the remaining plasma after the reactor has shut off. Using fusion would also increase the amount of energy created in a certain amount of time because it generates more power than most other resources which is another advantage. Also since fusion will be more widely used in the future, the cost would be considered less than using other resources because using fusion energy lasts longer. Using fusion power would be great for the environment because it doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases. One of the biggest disadvantages to using fusion power is simply the fact that we cannot use it efficiently yet. Also since fusion power is based off of the temperature of the sun, it is very difficult to keep the plasma in the container without completely destroying the plasma. Nuclear fusion is very scarce in the world, if it can be controlled it would be used to: create bombs, keep higher amounts of energy longer, and also creating more energy to help generate electricity and produce more heat. So if scientists can find more ways to control fusion, it would become a more efficient energy source because it is less hazardous to our environment.

**__Biomass:__**
Biomass is material from living or recently living organisms. It it most often plant matter, but is also sometimes animal matter or even municipal waste. It is a renewable resource. The organic matter is burned to heat water; the water turns to steam that flows through a turbine and produces electricity. There are many advantages to using biomass. Unlike burning fossil fuels, which emits unnecessary amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, burning biomass releases carbon dioxide which is already naturally released by animals. Carbon dioxide is then used by plants. This is all part of the natural carbon cycle. Burning biomass uses up left over waste from forest thinning, and any other place that there is left over plant or animal matter. Instead of allowing the matter to decay, or burn it by itself, it is used to create electricity.Burning biomass produces sustained power, as opposed to over sources like solar or wind that produce intermittent electricity if the correct conditions do not exist. Biomass has some disadvantages, too. Burning biomass produces carbon monoxide, a hazardous gas. In general, it produces other air pollutants just as bad as those from other resources like coal or natural gas. Extraction and storage of biomass is more expensive than that of fossil fuels. As discussed before, the environmental impact made by biomass use goes both ways. Biomass burning produces carbon dioxide, which is natural to the atmosphere. However, it also produces harmful pollutants that contribute to air pollution and potentially global warming. Biomass use is a wonderful use for excess organic matter that would otherwise be in the way and/or serve no purpose. Burning biomass is most often used to create electricity, but can also be created into biofuel to run automobiles for transportation.



**__Wind:__**
Wind is a renewable resource used to produce electricity. Wind itself can simply be defined as air movement. It is caused by fluctuations in temperature from the rising and setting of the sun. Air heats and cools faster over land than over water. Therefore, when the air heats over the land, the cooler air from the ocean rushes underneath it and vice versa. Wind power comes from the wind spinning giant windmill turbines that harness the energy of the wind. One of the major advantages to wind energy is that it produces little pollution except for possible visual pollution in the eyes of some people. Wind is completely renewable, seeing as it never permanently goes away. Wind is abundant; almost everywhere has windy days. There is always the risk that the turbine could spin out of control and essentially explode into pieces, potentially harming anyone around. Wind is not constant; it can be extremely strong, or it could be nonexistent. Many turbines (an entire wind farm) are needed just to power a small community. For the most part, wind turbines offer little environmental harm. They can be noisy and some people consider them to be visually displeasing. Manufacturing the turbines also produces a little bit of pollution. Most commonly, in modern times, windmills (wind turbines) are used to generate electricity. They can also, however, be used to pump water or mill corn (which is where the name comes from). Wind is also used to operate sailboats, though this does not involve wind turbines.



**__Synfuels:__**
Synfuel is a liquid or gaseous fuel made from coal, natural gas, oil shale, or biomass. It can also be made from plastics or rubber waste. Synfuels are nonrenewable, unless made from biomass. They are most often made from coal. Synfuels produce diesel, gasoline, or kerosene directly without needing to complete more steps. They are less harmful to the environment. There is no need for new vehicles to run on the fuels made from synfuels. Producing synfuels is also very expensive. Synfuels do not harness all of the original energy from the fossil fuel it came from. For example, biofuel from coal contains only one-third of the energy of regular solid coal. Fossil fuels are often used to create synfuels, so they add pollution to the air. This is notable since the last thing we are looking for is to pollute the earth farther. Many synfuels have a large carbon footprint, which could harm the environment. Greenhouse gases are produced when synfuel is used, contributing to global warming. Synfuels are used to create aviation fuel to power aircrafts and gasoline, kerosene, and diesel, as mentioned before. They can be used to heat and produce electricity as well.

**__Co-generation:__**
Co-generation has been around for almost a century. It generates heat and electric power from the same energy source. It can use fossil fuels, wood, agricultural waste, and peat moss. Since heat can't travel very long distances, the generator has to located close to the person that will be using the heat. Since the plants have to be close to the consumer, the plants tend to be small and owned by small companies. Co-generation is the heart of district heating and cooling systems in Europe and is becoming increasing more popular in North America. If co-generation is used to heat and cool districts then the greenhouse gases that the human race emit into the atmosphere will be drastically reduced. The drastic reduction of these gases will reduce the effect of global warming. When fuel is burned the steam turns turbines creating energy. Co-generation utilizes the heat that is being produced and uses it to turn the turbine and create energy.

__Solar:__
Solar energy is energy that comes from the sun. It was created in order to reduce the amount of pollution that is being put into the environment. Solar energy has been used since the ancient times. Depending on the way that the energy is gathered, stored and distributed determines which category it falls into.It can either be passive solar or active solar. Passive solar energy can include the position of a building to the sun and designing a building or a place so that it naturally circulates the air without the use of fans. While active solar energy converts the sun's rays into useful things. They also increase the amount of energy. Solar energy has it's definite advantages. It keeps the cost of fossil fuels down, reduces the a. mount of pollution, and it also gives countries a better chance to sustain themselves. The Greeks and the Chinese used passive solar energy in the ancient times. They would align their homes with the sun. This allowed the sun to provide light and warmth.

**__Tidal:__**
Tidal energy has been around since 747 AD. The French, British, and the Spanish utilized the incoming and outgoing tides to their advantage. The incoming tides would fill a pond, then the outgoing pond would spin a wheel. The turning of this wheel would create enough energy to power grain mills. The advantages of using tidal energy are that it's predictable, doesn't emit any pollution and is a very reliable source of energy. Tidal energy can be harnessed by turbines that are very similar to wind turbines, except underwater. To harness tidal energy a barrage has to be built across an estuary. The barrage will be have doors that will be open so the water can easily flow into the holding cell. Then as the water level is about to drop the doors close. The barrage can generate energy from the flood side,the ebb side or both sides. Although tidal energy can be easily gathered it is very expensive so there is only one major tidal energy turbine. This turbine is located on the La Rance river in France.