Jackson State University Energy Sources Questions

• 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. Dysprosium is a good neutron absorber and is used in nuclear reactor control rods.
• There may also be siting issues. With NIMBYism blocking new projects.

Please answer the following questions in a single Word document and submit by the end of the module. Unless otherwise stated, each answer should be at least 250 words.

1. The future of energy use will be governed by what sources of energy are available. Write 300-400 words comparing a current energy source with a source that is not yet fully “online”. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these sources?
2. How does the issue of entropy increase matter for the sources you discuss in question 1? Does either one have an entropy or efficiency advantage?
3. When considering energy sources there is a question about whether a particular source is a “good” one for transportation as opposed to sources that work well for homes and business locations. (For instance, nuclear powered cars are not in anyone’s foreseeable future.) Considering the choices that you made for the first question, write 300-400 words about whether the particular energy sources are better for transportation or for larger scale operations. Are there ways to adapt transportation systems so that the larger scale sources become more usable?
4. 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?