MED 003: Unit 03 – Energy Production Technologies

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 UNIT 3: ENERGY PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

3.1 Introduction

Energy production is fundamental to sustaining modern life, driving industries, powering homes, and enabling transportation. As the global population increases and economies expand, the demand for energy also rises. To meet this demand, diverse energy production technologies—both renewable and non-renewable—are employed. Understanding these technologies is crucial for balancing energy needs with environmental concerns and sustainability goals.

This unit explores key technologies used to produce energy from both conventional (non-renewable) and alternative (renewable) sources, along with modern energy storage systems.

3.2 Objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • Describe the primary technologies used for extracting and producing non-renewable energy sources.
  • Understand various renewable energy production methods.
  • Explain how energy storage technologies support grid reliability and renewable integration.
  • Evaluate the advantages and limitations of different energy production technologies.

3.3 Production Technologies for Non-renewable Energy Sources

Non-renewable energy sources such as coal, petroleum, and nuclear fuels dominate the current global energy mix. They are finite and involve extraction and processing technologies that significantly impact the environment.

Coal

  • Mining Methods:
    • Surface Mining (Open-cast): Removes soil and rock to access coal seams near the surface.
    • Underground Mining: Used for deep coal deposits.
  • Coal Processing:
    • Crushing and washing to remove impurities.
    • Pulverized coal combustion is common in thermal power plants.
  • Environmental Issues:
    • Air pollution (SO₂, NOₓ, particulates), land degradation, water contamination.

Petroleum

  • Extraction Techniques:
    • Drilling (onshore and offshore).
    • Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR): Injecting gases, steam, or chemicals to extract more oil.
  • Refining:
    • Petroleum is processed in refineries using fractional distillation and chemical conversion to produce fuels like petrol, diesel, and kerosene.
  • Challenges:
    • Oil spills, carbon emissions, geopolitical dependencies.

Nuclear Energy

  • Fission Technology:
    • Uses uranium-235 or plutonium-239 as fuel.
    • Nuclear fission generates heat, which produces steam to drive turbines.
  • Types of Reactors:
    • Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
    • Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)
    • Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR)
  • Concerns:
    • Nuclear waste disposal, radiation risk, high capital cost, safety regulations.

3.4 Production Technologies for Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy technologies harness naturally replenished resources. These are essential for transitioning to a sustainable energy future and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar Energy

  • Photovoltaic (PV) Cells:
    • Convert sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon).
  • Solar Thermal Systems:
    • Use mirrors/lenses to concentrate sunlight to heat a fluid and generate steam for turbines.
  • Applications:
    • Rooftop solar panels, solar farms, solar water heaters.

Hydropower

  • Large-scale Dams:
    • Store water in reservoirs; release flows through turbines to generate electricity.
  • Run-of-the-River Plants:
    • Utilize natural river flow with minimal storage.
  • Small Hydro and Micro-hydro Systems:
    • Serve remote areas with localized energy needs.
  • Issues:
    • Ecosystem disruption, displacement, sedimentation.

Wind Energy

  • Wind Turbines:
    • Blades capture wind energy to rotate a generator.
  • Onshore vs Offshore:
    • Offshore turbines offer higher and more consistent wind speeds.
  • Wind Farms:
    • Cluster of turbines generating power for grid supply.
  • Limitations:
    • Intermittency, land use, wildlife impact (birds/bats).

Biomass Energy

  • Sources:
    • Organic materials like crop residues, wood, animal waste.
  • Conversion Technologies:
    • Combustion: Direct burning for heat or power.
    • Gasification: Produces syngas for electricity.
    • Anaerobic Digestion: Produces biogas from organic waste.
  • Advantages:
    • Renewable, rural employment, waste utilization.

3.5 Energy Storage Technologies

As renewable sources are variable (sunlight, wind), storing energy is vital for reliability and balancing supply-demand.

Battery Storage

  • Types:
    • Lithium-ion, lead-acid, sodium-sulphur, flow batteries.
  • Uses:
    • Grid stabilization, peak load management, EVs.

Pumped Hydro Storage

  • Stores energy by pumping water to a higher elevation during low demand and releasing it during peak demand.

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)

  • Stores energy by compressing air in underground caverns; releases it to drive turbines.

Thermal Storage

  • Stores solar heat in molten salts or other media for later use in generating electricity.

Flywheel and Supercapacitors

  • Short-term energy storage for power quality management.

3.6 Summary

Energy production technologies vary widely based on the source—renewable or non-renewable. While coal, oil, and nuclear power dominate current supply, their environmental and sustainability challenges are pushing a shift toward cleaner technologies like solar, wind, hydro, and biomass. Energy storage technologies further enable renewable integration into the grid. A sustainable energy future requires innovation, planning, and a mix of technologies tailored to local needs and resources.

3.7 Keywords

  • Non-renewable Energy: Energy from finite sources like coal, petroleum, and nuclear fuel.
  • Renewable Energy: Energy from natural, replenishable sources like sunlight, wind, water, and biomass.
  • Photovoltaic: Technology that converts solar energy directly into electricity.
  • Gasification: Process of converting biomass into syngas.
  • Battery Storage: Technology to store electricity for later use.
  • Pumped Hydro Storage: Uses elevation differences to store and generate energy.

 

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