Diverse Energy Sources and Sustainable Practices

Understanding Energy Sources and Power Generation

Thermal Power Stations

• Advantages: Convert heat energy from fuel into electricity.
• Disadvantages: Pollutes the environment.

A thermal power station is a large vapor-making machine that drives an electric generator.

Nuclear Energy

• Advantages: High performance.
• Disadvantages: Expensive maintenance.

Nuclear energy is obtained through the process of nuclear fission, which involves the division of atomic nuclei. The fission energy is converted into electrical energy.

Solar Energy

• Advantages: Non-polluting, renewable energy.
• Disadvantages: Requires a large area, can be very expensive.

Photovoltaic Solar Energy

Photovoltaic solar energy utilizes a photovoltaic cell. It works through the photovoltaic effect using semiconductor materials, especially silicon.

• Key Countries: USA, Australia, Germany, and Spain.

Biomass Energy

Biomass refers to all organic matter of vegetable or animal origin that can be converted into energy.

• Examples: Wood, agricultural waste, sugarcane, municipal waste.

Tidal Energy

Tidal energy is a variant of a hydroelectric plant. The gravitational attraction exerted by the Moon and Sun on Earth leads to the formation of tides. This system consists of a dam with several tunnels where turbine generators are powered by water moving up and down with the tide (movement of the tides).

Hydroelectric Power

In a hydroelectric power plant, water drives a turbine, whose rotational motion is transferred through a shaft to a generator.

• Run-of-River Hydroelectric Plants: Utilize rivers with nearly constant flow.
• Reservoir Hydroelectric Plants: Designed for rivers with variable flow.
• Pumping-Storage Hydroelectric Plants: Utilize two reservoirs, one above and one below, with turbines in between.

Wind Power

Wind power transforms the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy.

• Advantages: Renewable, non-polluting.
• Disadvantages: Causes significant visual impact, generates considerable noise.

Geothermal Energy

• Advantages: Renewable, non-polluting.
• Disadvantages: Requires a large area, does not work well on cloudy days or at night, requiring battery storage.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development seeks to obtain goods and services needed to improve the quality of life without negatively impacting the environment. It is based on three basic principles:

1. Survival and protection for future generations.
2. Improve the quality of life and human development.
3. Conserve natural ecosystems and renewable resources.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is about achieving more with fewer resources.

• Benefits: Lower production costs, more energy available, less waste, less pollution.

Electricity Networks

Primary Network

The primary network transports electric power from power stations to step-up transformer stations, supplying electricity to urban centers and large industries.

Secondary Networks

Secondary networks distribute energy from primary networks for domestic consumption, small industries, and certain services.