back
to top
Where
is the energy coming from_
We
use energy every day. We use it to grow our food, warm
and cool our homes, make our electricity, run our cars,
and make products like clothes, toys, and furniture; obviously,
energy is a very important part of our lives, but where
is all this energy coming from_
Most
of the time, we burn "fossil fuels" like oil,
natural gas, and coal to release the energy that these
fuels hold inside. Large utility companies burn fossil
fuels to make electricity,
and we burn
fuel to run our car or warm our homes. Oil, natural
gas, and coal are called fossil fuels because they are
formed over millions of years from the fossils, or remains,
of dead animals and plants. When the fossils got buried
under dirt and rock, the heat from the earth and the pressure
from the dirt and rock changed these fossils into oil,
natural gas, and coal. Because it takes millions of years
to make, or "renew," fossil fuels, people call
them "non-renewable fuels."
Other
fuels are called "renewable fuels" because they
are "renewed" all the time and will never run
out. Solar energy
and wind energy are examples of renewable energy sources—the
sun is shining every day and will continue to do so for
another five billion years or so. Watershed Radio's Solar
Library gives an example of a building that uses energy
from the sun.
How
much energy do we use_
The
Energy
Information Administration
keeps track of the energy we use in the United States.
The figure below shows the data for 1999 and you can see
that petroleum, natural gas, and coal are our main sources
of energy. The renewable energy sources—geothermal,
wind, photovoltaic, and solar—are included in the
category "other" and are the least used energy
source in the United States.
*
May include net imports of electricity generated from
this resource.
** Geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, and solar.
Picture:
Primary Energy Consumed in United States by Source, 1999.
Information and picture courtesy of the Energy
Information Administration.
Fossil
fuels and air pollution
Not
only are fossil fuels non-renewable energy sources, burning
them pollutes the air because it releases sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide into the air. These
pollutants contribute to public health problems and environmental
degradation; they are linked to acid rain, ground-level
ozone, fine particulate pollution, and global climate
change. Read more about these issues on the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) website Electricity
and Environment.
Ready
for the winter_
By
reducing our energy consumption and using clean, renewable
energy sources, we can reduce our contributions to air
pollution and global climate change. And where would it
be easier to start saving energy than in your own home_
Picture:
Woman caulking to seal leaks. Picture
courtesy of Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy
Laboratory.
According
to the U.S. Department of Energy, checking
your home's insulating system is one of the fastest
and most cost-efficient ways to reduce your energy consumption
and maximize your energy dollars. According to the Department
of Energy, you can increase the comfort of your home while
reducing your heating and cooling needs by up to 30% by
investing just a few hundred dollars in proper insulation
and weatherization products. You can read more about insulation
and weatherization on the Department of Energy Energy
Savers website.
References
and further reading
Other
Watershed Radio programs
Energy,
clean energy and fossil fuels
Saving
energy
Back
to top
