Hydroelectric, Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Energy: A Deep Dive
1. Components of a Hydroelectric Power Plant
These plants transform the potential energy of water stored in a reservoir into electrical energy. The process involves converting potential energy to kinetic energy, then kinetic energy of water to rotational power.
- Reservoir: A concrete wall, called a dam, holds the water.
- Dam:
- Gravity Dam: Uses its weight to counteract the water’s force. Construction is expensive.
- Arch Dam: Transfers water pressure to the mountain slopes. Construction is cheaper.
- Water Pipes:
Planetary Health: Resources, Energy, and Pollution
Environmental Impact: Our Wounded Planet
Resource Exploitation
Natural resources are elements from nature that humans utilize for their benefit.
Resource Classification
- Renewable Resources: Inexhaustible resources like solar, wind, and tidal energy.
- Non-Renewable Resources: Finite resources like oil, coal, and natural gas.
- Potentially Renewable Resources: Resources that can be renewed depending on human exploitation and regeneration rates, such as agricultural, livestock, and fishery resources.
Water:
Read MoreRiver Basin Dynamics and Hydrology
River Basin Types
There are three types of river basins:
- Exoreic: Drains water into the sea or ocean. Example: Rimac River.
- Endorheic: Flows into lakes, lagoons, and salt flats with no outlet to the sea.
- Arreic: Water evaporates or seeps into the ground before reaching a drainage system. Example: Streams and canyons of the central Patagonian plateau.
Functions of a River Basin
Hydrologic Function
- Collects water from various sources, including precipitation runoff, springs, rivers, and streams.
- Stores water
National Parks Geology: A Journey Through Time
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone’s formation is driven by its tectonic setting atop a hotspot, where magma rises from the Earth’s mantle. This hotspot fuels intense geothermal activity and volcanic eruptions. As the North American Plate moves westward, the stationary hotspot generates periodic eruptions, the most recent forming the Yellowstone Caldera. This activity is linked to extensional stress and normal faulting, pulling the crust apart and allowing magma to rise.
The park features unique
Read MoreSustainable Development and Environmental Challenges
Sustainable Development
Principles
- Collection: Extraction rate at or below regeneration rate.
- Discharge: Rate of extraction equals the creation rate of substitute resources/energies.
- Broadcast: Below the assimilative capacity of receiving ecosystems.
- Zero Emission: No bioaccumulative emissions.
- Integration: Mimic natural ecosystem processes.
- Technology Selection: Prioritize efficient technologies.
- Precautionary Principle: Avoid exceeding ecosystem limits.
Brackish Water
Saline intrusion in wells.
Alternative
Read MoreKey Geographical Terms and Concepts
Earth’s Position & Time
Equinox: Time when the sun’s rays cross the equator, causing equal day and night. Occurs around September 23rd and March 21st.
Solstice: Time when the sun’s rays fall directly on the tropics. Around June 22nd (Cancer) and December 23rd (Capricorn).
Mapping & Location
Scale: Relationship between map distance and real-world distance, expressed numerically or linearly.
Latitude: Angular distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees.
Longitude: Angular distance