How Energy Gets To Your Home

HOW ENERGY GETS TO YOUR HOME 1 PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCES: FOSSIL FUELS RENEWABLE NUCLEAR Oil Solar Wind Coal Natural Gas Hydropower 2013 Saw an acceleration in the growth of global energy consumption, despite a stagnant global economy. FOSSIL FUELS NATURAL GAS Gas is extracted from the earth by drilling. The gas is then filtered to remove water, acid, mercury and nitrogen. It is then either imported as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) or transported through pipes to the National Grid (NG). The NG adds the smell for safety, The suppliers then distribute it and is then distributed to the to your home via a series of much suppliers. smaller pressurised pipes. Natural Gas Consumption (% of world total) Africa 3.79% South & Central America 596 Europe & Eurasia 31.7% Middle East 12.8% Asia Pacific North America 19% 27.8% Consumption 10 Year Natural Gas Consumption (Million Tonnes Oil Equivalént) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 OIL It is then transported and piped into a boiler where it is burned, converting chemical energy into heat energy. A well is drilled to The steam drives the blades of the turbine, causing it to spin and convert the heat energy into mechanical energy to drive the generator. extract the oil. This heats water in pipes coiled around the boiler, turning it into steam. A transformer converts the The generator uses an electromagnetic field to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. electrical energy from the generator to a high voltage. 400,000 VOLTS Which are connected to transformers which bring the voltage back down to a usable level before being fed into homes and businesses. The NG transmits the electricity through power lines. 230 VOLTS Oil Consumption (% of world total) Africa 4196 South & Central America 7.49% Asia Pacific 33.8% Middle East 9,29% Europe & Eurasia North America 2196 24.5% 10 Year Oil Consumption (Million Tonnes) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 COAL It is then transported to a power station where it is ground into a fine powder. It is then burned and its chemical energy is converted in to heat energy. The gases enter the exhaust stack which Coal is mined filters out dust and ash either via before venting into the atmosphere. underground mining or surface mining What follows is a procedure similar to that used in converting oil to energy, via a process of heating water (using the coal) and creating steam, which in turn generates electricity which can be delivered to the home via a system of transformers and pylons. Coal Consumption (% of world total) South & Central America Middle East 0.8% 0.2% Africa 25% North America 12.8% Europe & Eurasia 13.39% Asia Pacific 70.5% 10 Year Coal Consumption (Million Tonnes Oil Equivalent) 2004 2005) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 RENEWABLE ENERGY HYDROELECTRIC POWER A hydroelectric dam stiaddles a river and blocks the progress of the water, turaing one side into a reservoi. The water is released through underwater gates which force the turbine at the bottom to spin. The turbine is connected to a generator, so when the turbine spins, so does the generator. It uses an electromagnetic field to convert the mechanical energy into electricity. Converting kinetic energy into mechanical energy. 400,000 VOLTS rated electricity is delivered to the home via a system of transformers and pylons. 230 VOLTS Hydroelectricity Consumption (96 of world total) Middle East 0.7% Africa Asia Pacific 36.19% North America 18.3% South & Central America 18 5% Europe & Eurasia 23.5% 10 Year Hydroelectricity Consumption (Million Tonnes bIL Equivalent) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 SOLAR POWER When sunlight hits a solar panel, it knocks loose electrons which are encouraged to travel all in the same direction by the semi-conductor to create an electrical circuit. The panels generate a direct current (DC) but before the energy can be used in homes and businesses, it needs to be converted into an alternating current (AC) using an inverter. The newly inverted current then travels from the inverter to the fusebox and from there to the appliances that need it! DC AC 28.2 10 Year Solar Power Consumption (Million Tonnes Oil Equivalent) 21.3 13.4 6.9 4.3 0.6 0.8 I.I 1.5 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 WIND POWER The wind blows over the angled blades of the rotor and makes it spin, converting kinectic energy into mechanical energy. When the rotor spins, so does the generator. The generator uses an electromagnetic field to convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy. The electrical energy is transmitted along cables to a substation where the electrical energy from all the turbines in the wind farm is 400,000 230 VOLTS VOLTS The generated electricity is delivered to the home via a system of transformers and pylons. combined and converted to a high voltage. 10 Year Wind Power Consumption (Million Tonnes Oil Equivalent) 9. 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Other Renewable Energy Consumption (9% of world total) Africa Middle East 0.6% 0.16 South & Central America 6.5% North America 23.4% Europe & Eurasia 41.3% Asia Pacific 28% NUCLEAR POWER Fuel rods (sealed metal cylinders containing pellets of uranium) are housed within a reactor vessel. Water flows through the reactor vessel where the reaction heats it to around 300°C. The water needs to stay liquid for the power station to work, so the pressuriser subjects it to around 155 times atmospheric pressure to stop it from boiling. The reactor coolant pump circulates the hot pressurised water from the reactor vessel to the steam generator. A second stream of water flows through the steam generator under much less pressure, so the heat from the pipes boils it into steam. When a neutron hits a uranium atom, the atom splits releasing two or three more neutrons. This process converts the nuclear energy which binds the atoms together into heat energy. This steam powers turbines connected to a generator, so when the turbine spins, so does the generator. It uses an electromagnetic field to convert the mechanical energy into electricity. 400,000 VOLTS The generated electricity is delivered to the home via a system of transformers and pylons. 230 VOLTS Nuclear Power Consumption (% of world total) Africa Middle East 0.6% 0.2% South & Central America 0.8% Asia Pacific Europe & Eurasia 46.7% 13.8% North America 37.9% 10 Year Nuclear Power Consumption (Million Tonnes Oil Equivalent) 624.7 626,4 634.9 621.7 619.4 614.0 626.2 600.7 559.9 563,2 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011, 2012 2013 SOURCES www.bp.com/statisticalreview energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-sources instituteforenergyresearch.org/topics/encyclopedia/fossil-fuels www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/our-company/gas/ www.edfenergy.com/energyfuture www.world-petroleum.org/index.php?/Education/how-do-we- get-oil-and-gas-out-of-the-ground.html Brought to you by SmB SwitchmyBusiness.com OUR EXPERTS SORT, YOUR BUSINESS SAVES 635.1 = 2424.7 8'199 688.7 2495.5 700.3 2563.1 728.1 = 2666.4 737.8 4000.2 2732.5 3924.6 783.9 2667.9 6040.2 795.8 2868.2 833.6 2914.7 855.8 2986.3 3020.4