BIOL 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Nuclear Power, Energy Returned On Energy Invested, Internal Combustion Engine
11 Nov 2014
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Biol 111 - ecology and the environment - lecture 24: energy. Useful energy produced by a device compared to total energy output (including heat) A measure of how much useful energy we get from an energy resource after subtracting the energy used (and wasted) in making the energy available. To improve net energy efficiency: minimize the number of conversation steps, maximize the efficiency of each step. Thermal power plant: waste two-thirds of its energy. Combustion engine: waste 75-80% of the energy in its fuel. Reduces oil imports and improves energy security. Buys time to phase in renewable energy. Replace inefficient electric motors: consume one-fourth the electricity in n. america. Increased fuel economy: sharp rise in energy efficient cars! Produce two useful forms of energy: ex. Energy efficiency: 80-90: vs. 30-40% of coal/nuclear electricity-only. 60% less co2 per unit of energy than coal. May consume 10x more power than it cost to purchase.
