When considering energy sources one of the most important issues to consider is

Question

When considering energy sources one of the most important issues to consider is the efficiency of production. ie. How much waste is produced in the process of making energy. This is a crucial but difficult measure to evaluate. Most energy sources have efficiencies which are quite low (many are well below 20% efficient, that means that 4/5 of the energy used is wasted). There are other considerations as well.

Waste is produced at all levels of energy production starting with mining and refining.

The kind of waste could be a consideration, for instance, there is a lot of CO2 involved with fossil fuels which is an important greenhouse gas. While for nuclear fission there is long-lived radioactive waste.

Solar photovoltaics are not as clean as they may seem. Some of the older manufacturing methods are quite dirty. They also don't last forever.

There are also considerations of the availability of materials, this can be a geo-political issue. For instance, the so-called rare-earth metals are only mined in certain areas. China and Afghanistan to name two, there are others, Canada has some but not all, the U.S. has none. They are crucial for many high-tech devices. Also needed for breakthrough battery, solar or wind technology. China recently announced export restrictions. Also, a ton of low-level radioactive waste is produced in the process of refining a ton of rare-earth metal from ore. The one that is important for wind turbines is Neodymium (Nd) which is used to make strong permanent magnets.

There may also be siting issues. With NIMBYism blocking new projects.

1. All energy sources have a downside. Of the various sources that are discussed in the video segments, which one is the worst and which one is the best? Why do you make these choices?

Explanation / Answer

The conventional sources of energy like coal, patrol, diesel etc. are worst energy resouces and non-conventional energy sources like solar, wind etc. are good than conventional sources.Conventional sources give carbon di oxide gas and other gases while burning , and these gases make our environment's air dirty and also carbon di oxide is prime cause of increasing global temperature.

But renewable energy sources are non conventional sources they are more clean, pollution free & one more advantage is in these cases we are using natural resourses which are free of cost. These are little bit more costly but the research is currently going for reducing cost and also for increasing efficiency.

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