0
60
Good afternoon everyone how's your afternoon today ill be sharing my knowledge about the world's energy sources and I hope you guys learn even just little, Soo let's get started
A century ago, few homes had electricity and cars were a rare sight Today much of the world's energy is turned into electricity for homes, to power equipment in factories, and to fuel our cars, buses, aircraft and other transport. These are some of the main sources of this energy,
Oil
The first oil wells were drilled less than 150 years ago but oil, and petroleum which comes from it has become the most important energy source. Almost 40 per cent of the world's energy supply comes from oil Most oil is found in the Middle East and has to be taken by tankers or pipelines to places where it is used around the world
Coal
Coal is the world's second most important source of energy. It makes up about 27 per cent of the total. Coal is a fossil fuel and is made from plants that lived and died in swamps 300 million years ago. The world's coal reserves will last about another 192 years. This is nearly three times as long as gas (67 years) and almost five times as long as oil (41 years)
Natural gas
The third main source of power comes from gas that occurs naturally beneath the Earth's surface. It accounts for 23 per cent of the world total The gas is mainly methane, with some ethane, propane and other gases. It is collected and taken to where it is needed by pipelines, and has replaced the highly polluting coal gas that used to be made by burning coal
Nuclear power
The fourth most important power source (7% of the world total) is nuclear power. A nuclear reaction releases huge amounts of heat which in turn heats water or other liquid and drives a turbine to produce electricity. The first nuclear power station to produce electricity for public use was Calder Hall, UK, which opened in 1956,
Hydropower
Flowing water has been used as a power source since the Middle Ages and water mills were once a corn on sight. Modern hydropower uses water flowing through turbines in dams to produce electricity
Solar energy
The Sun's warmth can be stored to produce energy Mirrors and plants were used to collect heat in ancient times, but the first houses to use solar heating were not built until 1955 Solar energy is becoming more popular and the technology is getting better all the time The world's largest solar energy generating plants are in the Mojave Desert, California USA. They are designed to the the Sun's rays to heat oil which drives a generator It creates enough electricity for a small town
Wind energy
Windmills were used in Persia (now iran) in the 7th century, and in Europe since the 12th century, but they were first used for making electricity in the late 19th century, Today California, USA is the world's leading area for wind-generated electricity Tehachapi Wind Resource California, produces as much wind energy as the rest of the USA combined
Tidal energy
Using waves and marine currents to release energy is expensive and as yet small-scale. The first and largest tidal power station on the Rance river, St Malo, France, was completed in 1967, It can produce enough energy every year to supply power to 120.000 households