Energy Resources and the Impact of Their Consumption

Choosing the energy resource to use depends on many factors. The availability of the resource, geographic location, energy efficiency, financial constraints and environmental impact are generally considered.

Note: Some textbooks categorize biomass as an energy resource originating from the lithosphere.

Examples of biomass energy resources include wood and wood residue, organic waste originating from animals and/or food, corn, wheat, canola and soybeans. The main products of biomass are as follows.

Wood → Firewood
Wood residue → Wood pellets
Organic waste → Biogas
Corn, wheat, canola, soybeans → Biofuel

The chemical energy from biomass is released during a combustion reaction (i.e., by burning biomass products).

The consumption of biomass energy has a negative impact on the environment. For example:

• The combustion of biomass products emits greenhouse gasses, which intensifies the greenhouse effect and the disruption of the carbon cycle.

• The combustion of biomass products emits sulfur oxides |(\text{SO}_x)| and nitrogen oxides |(\text{NO}_x)| into the atmosphere. These gasses contribute to acid rain.

• Biofuel production involves intensive agriculture of corn, wheat, canola and soybeans. It contributes to the following:

  • deforestation

  • use of large quantities of clean water

  • use of pesticides leading to the loss of biodiversity

  • accelerating erosion

  • soil depletion

  • fertilizer use causing the disruption of the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles as well as accelerating the eutrophication of bodies of water

  • heavy machinery use causing soil compaction

  • heavy machinery use causing a release of greenhouse gasses, sulfur oxides |(\text{SO}_x)| and nitrogen oxides |(\text{NO}_x)| due to fuel combustion.

The consumption of wind energy has a negative impact on the environment. For example:

• The presence of wind turbines located across a landscape can be considered a source of visual pollution.

• The sound created by the moving blades of the wind turbines can be considered a source of noise pollution.

• To generate a significant amount of electricity, multiple wind turbines have to be installed creating a wind farm. Wind farms generally require a large amount of land unoccupied by trees. This contributes to deforestation and wildlife displacement leading to the loss of biodiversity.

• Wind turbines threaten flying animals with collisions, injuries and death.

The consumption of solar energy has a negative impact on the environment. For example:

• The manufacturing of photovoltaic panels (or solar panels) requires the extraction and transformation of minerals. Industrial development projects, such as mines and ore processing plants, and their processes contributes to:

  • wildlife displacement and deforestation, leading to the loss of biodiversity

  • destruction of bedrock

  • heavy machinery use causing soil compaction

  • heavy machinery use causing a release of greenhouse gasses due to fuel combustion

  • large quantities of clean water use

  • chemical use increases the risk of groundwater contamination.

• To generate a significant amount of electricity, multiple solar panels have to be installed creating a solar farm (also known as a solar park). Solar farms generally require a large amount of land unoccupied by trees which further contributes to deforestation and wildlife displacement.

• The batteries in the photovoltaic panels contain heavy metals. When they end up in a landfill, there is a risk of groundwater contamination. This is why there are processes for recycling photovoltaic panels and measures for properly disposing of end-of-life batteries.

River diversion is the main negative environmental impact of exploiting hydroelectricity using dams. It contributes to:

• wildlife displacement leading to the loss of biodiversity

• drying up and/or flooding of different areas in a watershed

• decomposition of flooded plant matter causing the release of heavy metals into the water and their subsequent introduction into the food chain.

Energy obtained from the ocean currents is mainly used to generate electricity using underwater turbines.

The impact of marine energy is still under study, therefore, the impact of consumption on the environment is still unknown. However, it is possible it disrupts marine ecosystems, especially in the benthic zones.

Tidal energy is mainly used to generate electricity using tidal power plants.

The use of tidal energy to generate electricity disrupts neritic, or coastal, ecosystems. The installation of tidal infrastructure tends to separate and transform the ecosystems upstream and downstream from the power plant. Overtime, the separation leads to the loss of biodiversity.

The consumption of fossil fuels has an impact on the environment. For example:

• The combustion of fossil fuels emits greenhouse gasses which contribute to the intensification of the greenhouse effect and the disruption of the carbon cycle.

• The combustion of fossil fuels emits sulfur oxides |(\text{SO}_x)| and nitrogen oxides |(\text{NO}_x)| into the atmosphere. These gasses contribute to acid rain.

• Industrial development projects, such as coal mines, installation of oil and natural gas drilling rigs, and their processes contribute to:

  • wildlife displacement and deforestation, leading to the loss of biodiversity

  • destruction of bedrock

  • heavy machinery use causing soil compaction

  • heavy machinery use causing a release of greenhouse gasses due to fuel combustion

  • use of large quantities of clean water

  • chemical use that increase the risk of groundwater, surface water and ocean water contamination

  • fuel spills that contaminate groundwater, surface water and the oceans.

Energy obtained from natural gas is mainly used in building heating systems.

The consumption of uranium has a negative impact on the environment. For example:

• Industrial development projects, such as mines and ore processing plants, and their processes contribute to:

  • displacement of wildlife and deforestation, leading to the loss of biodiversity

  • destruction of bedrock

  • heavy machinery use causing soil compaction

  • heavy machinery use causing a release of greenhouse gasses due to fuel combustion

  • use of large quantities of clean water

  • chemical use that increase the risk of groundwater, surface water and ocean water contamination

• The discharge of hot water by the nuclear power plant accelerates the eutrophication of rivers.

• The disposal of radioactive waste poses a risk of groundwater contamination. The risk is considered low when the storage of radioactive waste is adequate.

The use of geothermal energy to generate electricity has little impact on the environment.