Tuesday, July 31. 2018Can sunlight provide power?
As we use up natural resources such as coal and oil, there is a constant search for new sources of energy. The Sun gives out vast amounts of energy, of which only a tiny fraction reaches the Earth. If we could use just a small part of this energy it would fulfil all the world’s foreseeable needs for power, but so far it has not been possible to find efficient ways to collect solar energy. We harness the Sun’s energy with solar panels. This energy is then used to heat water. Picture credit: google Tuesday, July 31. 2018How do we obtain oil?
Oil is thought to have formed from the remains of organisms that died millions of years ago. Billions of tiny organisms lived in shallow water or in the surface layers of the oceans. As they died their remains settled to the bottom and were eventually buried. The remains were compressed under the weight of rock. They underwent chemical changes due to the high pressure and eventually formed oil and gas, which remained trapped under the rock layers. Geologists locate deposits of oil, and holes are drilled so the oil can be extracted. Usually, water is pumped into an oil well under pressure, forcing the lighter oil up to the surface. Picture credit: google Tuesday, July 31. 2018How is coal formed?
Coal is formed from the compressed remains of plants that lived in bogs 250-350 miff on years ago. This was during the Carboniferous Period, when primitive animals first appeared on the land. Coal formed from the remains of tree ferns and other primitive trees, which were covered with mud and sand and buried as new rock was laid down. Very gradually, over millions of years, this material turned into coal. A similar process is taking place today in peat bogs, where the rotting remains of heather form peat. When dried, peat burns in a similar way to coal. In some parts of the world soft shale, which is called brown coal, is mined. The hardest and most pure form of coal is anthracite, which contains very few impurities. Picture credit: google |
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