Chapter 11 – Energy Sources,

Work and Power

 Content
• Sources of Energy
– Renewable and Non-renewable Sources
• Types of Energy
– Hydroelectric and tidal energy
– Wind energy
– Geothermal energy
– Solar energy
– Biofuel
• Law of Conservation of Energy and its application
– Mechanical and electrical energy
– Work and Power
 Sources of Energy
• Energy – the ability to do work or the capacity
to do work
• The combination of energy & matter make up
the universe:
– Matter is the substance and energy causes the
transformation of substances
• Source of energy can either be Renewable or
Non-renewable form
 Sources of Energy
NON-RENEWABLE RENEWABLE
 Non-Renewable Energy
• Crude oil, Natural, Coal & Nuclear Energy

• Crude oil, Natural gas, Coal are also referred to

as Fossil Fuels – formed from the fossilized
remains of pre-historic plant & animal material
• Crude oil – used to manufacture paraffin, petrol,
diesel, jet fuel & plastics
• Fossil fuels are limited, hence non-renewable
 How Fossil Fuel Works
• Coal is crushed to a fine dust and burnt
• Oil and gas can be burnt directly.
• Burn fuel → heat water to make steam → steam
turns turbines → turbines turns generators →
electrical power sent around the country
• Crude oil (called "petroleum") is easier to get out
of the ground than coal, as it can flow along
pipes. This also makes it cheaper to transport.
Advantages to Using Fossil Fuels
• Very large amounts of electricity can be
generated in one place using coal, fairly
cheaply.
• Transporting oil and gas to the power
stations is easy.
• Gas-fired power stations are very efficient.

• A fossil-fuelled power station can be built

almost anywhere
 Disadvantages of Using Fossil Fuels
• The main drawback of fossil fuels is pollution.
• Burning any fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide,
which contributes to the "greenhouse effect",
warming the Earth.
• Burning coal produces sulphur dioxide, a gas that
contributes to acid rain.
• Importing of crude oil leads to oil spills in the
oceans
• Mining coal can be difficult and dangerous. Strip
mining destroys large areas of the landscape.
 Non-Renewable Energy
• Nuclear Energy – stored chemical energy in the
nucleus of atoms is released through a process
called fission
• Fission - splitting of nucleus into smaller parts,
of mostly radioactive elements to produce
energy e.g. uranium
• Nuclear power produces huge amounts of
energy from small amounts of fuel, without the
pollution that you'd get from burning fossil
fuels.
 How Nuclear Power Works
• The reactor uses
Uranium rods as fuel,
and the heat is
generated by nuclear
fission. Neutrons
smash into the nucleus
of the uranium atoms,
which split roughly in
half and release energy
in the form of heat.

• Nuclear fission makes heat → heated water makes

steam → steam turns turbines → turbines turn
generators → electrical power is sent around the
country
Advantages to Using Nuclear Power
• Nuclear power costs about the same as coal,
so it's not expensive to make.
• Does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide, so
it does not contribute to the greenhouse
effect.
• Produces huge amounts of energy from small
amounts of fuel.
• Produces small amounts
of waste.
• Nuclear power is reliable.
 Disadvantages of Nuclear Power
• Although not much waste is produced, it is
very, very dangerous.
• Nuclear radiation emitted is harmful to
humans
• Nuclear waste products remain for a long
time in the environment
 Renewable Energy
• Defined as energy that is produced from resources
which are continually replenished on a human
timescale
• Currently, this energy forms a very small percentage
of the energy sources we use in our everyday
activities
• Examples include:
– Hydroelectric energy
– Tidal
– Wind energy
– Geothermal
– Solar energy
– Biofuels
 Hydroelectric Energy
• Involves building a
dam wall in an area
to allow a river to fill
up behind the wall
• Water flows through
control gate turns
turbines
• Generators built
within the dam wall
generate electricity
from the turbines
• Electricity from the
power plant is
carried to res of the
country via power
lines
 Hydroelectric Energy
• Hydroelectric Energy (use water to turn turbines)
produce electric the same way as coal-powered
power plants (use steam to turn turbines)
• Hydroelectric is a clean source of Energy
• However, it’s expensive to build dams and
building of a dam may lead to flooding and
environmental damage
 Tidal Energy
• Form of hydro power which uses the tidal
movements of the ocean as water flows back
and forth
• Two ways to generate electricity with tides
involve use of:
1) Kinetic Energy that powers turbines as water
moves btwn full and ebb tide
2) Potential Energy in which barrages are used to
exploit the difference btwn full and low tide
Tidal Energy
 Wind Energy
• Source of energy which has been used for a
long time e.g. use of windmills in the middle
ages
• Form of solar energy
• Wind caused as a result of the sun heating the
earth’s surface unevenly
• Warm patches of air rises, causing the cooler
dense air to replace the warmer lighter air
 Wind Energy
use the kinetic
energy in the wind
by building tall
towers with
propellers (wind
turbines) attached at
the top and
generators to
convert energy into
electrical energy.
 Advantages to Wind power
• Wind is free, wind farms need no fuel.
• Produces no waste or greenhouse gases.
• The land beneath can usually still be used for
farming.
• Wind farms can be tourist attractions.
• A good method of supplying energy to remote
areas.
 Disadvantages of Wind Power
• The wind is not always predictable- some days
have no wind.
• Suitable areas for wind farms are often near the
coast, where land is limited and expensive.
• Coverage of the landscape with wind turbines is
unsightly and spoils landscape
• Can kill birds - migrating flocks tend to like strong
winds.
• Noisy - wind generator makes a constant, low
"swooshing" noise
 Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal means heat from the earth
• Originates from:
– heat trapped within the earth’s core
– Decay of natural occurring substances and;
– Movement of continental plates as they slide
against each other
• Volcanoes, hot springs and steam vents
represent easy accessible points to the energy
• Often, geothermal energy accessed through
drilling into the earth’s crust
 Geothermal Energy

• Steam produced from underground rocks is

used to drive turbines, which drive electric
generators to produce electricity
• Geothermal energy can also be used as a
heating source
– Hot water brought to the surface is sent through
insulated pipes and into radiator panels
 Solar Energy
• Use of solar panels or photovoltaic cells to
convert light (photons) from the sun into
electricity
• Solar cells in panels made from elements that can
produce electric current when light is absorbed
• e.g. silicon
• Solar panels used in a variety of different
applications, including:
– Telecommunications
– Solar geysers
– Solar furnaces (huge array of mirrors focusing light to
produce high temperatures)
 Biofuel
• Include solid biomass, liquid biofuel and
various bio-gases
• Biofuel obtained from plant and animal
matter
• Plant and animal matter is used to produce
fuels such as bioethanol, methanol, biodiesel
and natural gas.
• Plant and animal matter include:
– Sugar canes, animal manure, animal fat, vegetable
oil, woodchips, seaweed, corn stalks
 Advantages to Biomass

• use of organic waste materials to produce

energy
• The fuel tends to be cheap to produce
compared to fossil fuels
• Less demand on the Earth's resources.
 Disadvantages to Using Biomass
• Collecting of the organic waste in sufficient
quantities can be difficult.
• Burning and fermentation of biomass produces
greenhouse gases.
• Biofuel produced from plant matter may cause
the depletion of soil nutrients
 Law of Conservation of Energy
• Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it may be
transformed from one form into another, but the
total amount of energy never changes.

• Total energy = Potential energy + Kinetic energy

• Potential E - energy of position or energy in

storage.

• Kinetic Energy - energy of motion, the form

capable of doing work
 How is all energy divided?
All Energy

Potential Kinetic
Energy Energy

Gravitation Elastic Chemical

Potential Potential Potential
Energy Energy Energy
 Gravitational Potential Energy
• the energy an object has because of its position
relative to the earth.
PE = mgh
where,
m = mass of object
g = gravitational acceleration ( 9.8 m.s-2)
h = height of object
 Kinetic Energy
• Energy an object possess due to its motion
KE = ½ mv2
where,
m = mass of object
v = velocity (m.s-1)
 Energy Work
• Recall: Energy is the capacity to do work.
• Work is the process of transferring the energy
through motion
• Work – done when a force is exerted on an object
through a distance in the direction of the force.
Work = Force x distance
= N.m
= Joules
• Energy and Work have the same units
KWH, Joules, Calorie, K-Calories
 Work Example
• You carry a 15 kg suitcase upstairs, a distance of 3 m.
How much work did you do?
W=Fxd
a) F = mg, where g = 9.8 m/s2 (gravitational acceleration)
F = (15 kg) (9.8 m/s2) = +150 N

b) W = F x d
= (+150 N) (3 m)
= + 450 J
 Calculate Work
• During the ascent phase of a rep of the bench
press, the lifter exerts an average vertical force of
1000 N against a barbell while the barbell moves
0.8 m downwards. (displacement = - 0.8 m)
• How much work did the lifter do to the barbell?
 Calculate Work
Table of Variables:
Force = +1000 N
Distance = - 0.8 m

Work = Force x distance

= (+1000N) x (- 0.8m)
= - 800 J
 Work Calculation
• A cart at the top of a 200 m hill has a mass
of 5kg.
(a) What is the cart’s gravitational potential
energy?
(b) Assuming that energy is conserved and there is
no friction, calculate the cart’s speed at the
bottom of the hill.
 POWER
• Power – Rate at which work is done or the rate of
transfer of energy
• Therefore,
Power = Work done/ time taken
= (force x distance) / time
= J.s-1
= watts
or Power = Force x Velocity
since velocity = Distance / time
• Watt is defined as the expenditure of
1 joule of energy in 1 second.
 Important formulas and units
Quantity Definition Units
Force mass x accel. newtons
Work force x distance joules
Energy power x time joules
Power work / time watts
 Electrical Energy & Power
• The potential difference between two points
as the work done when one coulomb of
electricity moves from one point to another
• If p.d applied is volts (v) and quantity of
electricity which passes is Q (coulomb), then
work done (W) = VQ
or W = V x It
where t = time, V = volts and I = current
 Electrical Energy & Power
• work done (W) = V x It
•Using Ohm’s Law
V = IR or I = V/R, the
expression for the work done or electrical
energy expanded can be written in the
following three forms:
W = IVt or W = V2t / R or W = I2 Rt

where R = resistance
 Problem 1
A 300 gram ball is thrown into the air with an
initial velocity of 1250 cm/sec.
a. How much kinetic energy does the ball have?
b. How much potential energy does the ball have
when it reaches the top of its ascent?
c. How high into the air did the ball travel?
Problem 2
 Problem 3
A heater working with 30 V potential difference
has power 180 watt.
a. Find the current passing through the radiator
b. Find the resistance of the radiator.