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| 3736197205 | Coal | Availability - Significant reserves of coal are found in 38 states and underlie nearly half a million square miles, or about 13 percent of the nation's land mass. Technology- "Clean" coal technology is a collection of technologies being developed to mitigate the environmental impact of coal energy generation. Economics - It is our Nation's most abundant and affordable energy resource. Environmental/Health - The burning of coal has many negative effects. The main being air pollution due to the release of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals, from factories leading to smog, acid rain, toxins in the environment. | 0 | |
| 3736272055 | Oil | Availability - The global supply of crude oil, other liquid hydrocarbons, and biofuels is expected to be adequate to meet the world's demand for liquid fuels for at least the next 25 years. Technology- More emphasis has been placed on technologies that reduce cost and improve efficiencies.Technological advances have improved the breakeven economics on wells for both shale oil and gas wells. Economics - The economics have improved due to operators making better decisions on fluid choices, rigs and pressure pumping. Environmental/Health - The burning of coal has many negative effects. The main being air pollution due to the release of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals, from factories leading to smog, acid rain, toxins in the environment. | 1 | |
| 3736327067 | Natural Gas | Availability - There is an abundant amount of natural gas in the world and it is expected to last for millions of years. Technology- Over the past few decades the oil and natural gas industry has transformed into one of the most technologically advanced industries including innovations like: Hydraulic Fracturing also called "Fracking", offshore drilling technology, slimhole drilling, and many others. Economics/Environmental/Health - Natural gas is abundant (many decades of supply), emits no health-damaging particulates, unlike coal, has CO2 emissions that are about 50-60% less/kWh than of coal (reduces GW), and is low-cost, about 3.50-4.00 dollars/million Btu, which promotes economic growth and job creation. | 2 | |
| 3736559178 | Nuclear Fission | Availability - Technology- Nuclear fission energy is a competitive and mature low-carbon technology. Technology- Thorium, traveling wave reactors, mini reactors, fission batteries Economics -nuclear power is cost competitive with other forms of electricity generation, except where there is direct access to low-cost fossil fuels.Nuclear power plant construction is typical of large infrastructure projects around the world, whose costs and delivery challenges tend to be under-estimated. COSTLY Environmental/Health - The products of nuclear fission are on average far more radioactive than the heavy elements which are normally fissioned as fuel, and remain so for significant amounts of time, giving rise to a nuclear waste problem. | 3 | |
| 3736694734 | Hydroelectric | Availability - Rivers allow this source of energy to be very accessible. Technology- The most common type of hydroelectric power plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity. Economics - It is a very cheap source of energy. The main cost is the building of the dam. Environmental/Health - The dam that is used can disrupt the natural flow of the river which can lead to issues in the surrounding habbitats | 4 | |
| 3736981810 | Solar | Availability - Anywhere sunlight can be utilized! Technology - There are three primary technologies by which solar energy is commonly harnessed: photovoltaics (PV), which directly convert light to electricity; concentrating solar power (CSP), which uses heat from the sun (thermal energy) to drive utility-scale, electric turbines; and heating and cooling systems, which collect thermal energy to provide hot water and air conditioning. Economics - Even though solar energy can be very effective and its renew-ability makes it ideal, however the cost to make the technology to make solar energy is very high and expensive to maintain. Environmental/Health - Solar energy is not only renewable. It is also very clean which makes it very good potential energy source | 5 | |
| 3742059405 | Wind | Availability- It depends on the time of year and the weather so not dependable, but plentiful when it is windy. Technology- Wind turbines are grouped together in places called Wind farms- usually consisting of several hundred wind turbines. Economics- More stable than fossil fuels, because there is no shortage of wind, but the cost of the turbines and turbine maintenance have to be accounted for. Now they are cheaper to make than they used to be. Environmental/Health- Very clean energy, renewable resource. Only issue is the land it uses, but most wind farms share their land with agricultural farms. | 6 | |
| 3742253087 | Geothermal | Availability- Hydrothermal resources - reservoirs of steam or hot water - are available primarily in the western states, Alaska, and Hawaii. However, Earth energy can be tapped almost anywhere with geothermal heat pumps and direct-use application Technology- Currently, the most common way of capturing the energy from geothermal sources is to tap into naturally occurring "hydrothermal convection" systems, where cooler water seeps into Earth's crust, is heated up, and then rises to the surface. Once this heated water is forced to the surface, it is a relatively simple matter to capture that steam and use it to drive electric generators Economics- Geothermal power is a low cost energy source that diversifies the fuel supply and benefits the transitioning power grid. Environmental/Health- Emissions are low. Only excess steam is emitted by geothermal flash plants. No air emissions or liquids are discharged by binary geothermal plants, which are projected to become the dominant technology in the near future.Salts and dissolved minerals contained in geothermal fluids are usually re-injected with excess water back into the reservoir at a depth well below groundwater aquifers. This recycles the geothermal water and replenishes the reservoir. | 7 | |
| 3742324738 | Nuclear Fussion | Availability - Nuclear fusion is highly available but nuclear plants are few in demand because of the possible negative outcomes Technology- Fusion power is the generation of energy by nuclear fusion. Fusion reactions are high energy reactions in which two lighter atomic nuclei fuse to form a heavier nucleus. Economics - Fusion power offers the prospect of an almost inexhaustible source of energy for future generations, but it also presents scientific and engineering challenges. Environmental/Health - Clean energy that is almost is close to inexhaustible make it look ideal however events such as the Three Mile Island accident and Chernobyl show how it can go very wrong | 8 | |
| 3742458046 | Biomass | Availability-According to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) greatest availability of crop residues is within the Corn Belt, and among counties along the Mississippi River in the central Mississippi Valley. Biomass and waste are inherently a local energy supply Technology- Biomass technologies break down organic matter to release stored energy from the sun. The process used depends on the type of biomass and its intended end-use.-- Biofuels and Bio-power Economics-Making use of our biomass energy resources such as agricultural waste and municipal solid waste can reduce energy costs, and the money spent for this energy stays within the local economy. By providing an alternative for many locations, biomass or waste can supply fuel for industrial facilities that have a high thermal or electrical demand. Environmental/Health-The most obvious environmental benefit of biomass is the displacement of fossil fuel usage, and the corresponding reduction in air pollution and acid rain. Another beneficial environmental impact is the recycling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Waste doesn't go to landfills. Still has air pollution though | 9 | |
| 3742505465 | Solid Waste | Availability-The enormous increase in the quantum and diversity of waste materials generated by human activity has made solid waste an abundant source of energy. Technology- Technologies to convert solid waste into energy include Thermochemical Conversion, Biochemical Conversion, and Physico-chemical Conversion Economics - Benefits include: electricity generation at a cheaper rate compared to grid, very small disposal cost or landfill maintenance cost for the local bodies. Environmental/Health- This is good for the environment because waste that would usually be found filling landfills and polluting the Earth are recycled and reused to make energy that is clean and renewable. | 10 | |
| 3742527148 | Gas Hydrates | Availibilty- They may represent one of the world's largest reservoirs of carbon-based fuel. However, with abundant availability of natural gas from conventional and shale resources, there is no economic incentive to develop gas hydrate resources, and no commercial-scale technologies to exploit them have been demonstrated Technology-Proposed methods of gas recovery from hydrates generally deal with disassociating or "melting" in-situ gas hydrates, by heating the reservoir beyond the temperature of hydrate formation or decreasing the reservoir pressure below hydrate equilibrium. Depressurization is considered to be the most economically promising method for the production of natural gas from gas hydrates. Economic- Depends on how the power is extracted, but higher gas prices. Environmental/Health- Assessments of gas hydrate as an energy resource have often been overly optimistic, based in part on its very high methane content and on its worldwide occurrence in continental margins. Although these attributes are attractive, geologic settings, reservoir properties, and phase-equilibria considerations diminish the energy resource potential of natural gas hydrate. | 11 | |
| 3742595181 | Tidal | Availability-Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power. Not many sites with sufficiently high tidal ranges or flow velocities, thus constricting its total availability. Technology- Special buoys, turbines, and other technologies can capture the power of waves and tides and convert it into clean, pollution-free electricity. Economic- Traditionally suffered from relatively high cost and limited availability. Environmental/Health-Unlike fossil-fueled power plants, wave and tidal energy facilities generate electricity without producing any pollutant emissions or greenhouse gases. Since the first wave and tidal energy facilities are currently being deployed, the full environmental impacts of wave and tidal power remain uncertain but are projected to be small. | 12 |
