Energy Resources and Consumption

1.      Energy Concepts

                                                              i.      Energy forms

                                                            ii.      Power

                                                          iii.      Units

                                                          iv.      Conversions

                                                            v.      Laws of Thermodynamics

2.      Energy Consumption

a.       History

                                                              i.      Industrial Revolution

                                                            ii.      exponential growth

                                                          iii.      energy crisis

b.      Present global energy use

c.       Future energy needs

3.      Fossil Fuel Resources and Use

                                                              i.      Formation of coal, oil, and natural gas

                                                            ii.      extraction/purification methods

                                                          iii.      world reserves and global demand

                                                          iv.      synfuels

                                                            v.      environmental advantages/ disadvantages of sources

4.      Nuclear Energy

                                                              i.      Nuclear fission process

                                                            ii.      nuclear fuel

                                                          iii.      electricity production

                                                          iv.      nuclear reactor types

                                                            v.      environmental advantages/disadvantages

                                                          vi.      safety issues

                                                        vii.      radiation and human health

                                                      viii.      radioactive wastes

                                                          ix.      nuclear fusion

5.      Hydroelectric Power

                                                              i.      Dams

                                                            ii.      flood control

                                                          iii.      salmon

                                                          iv.      silting

                                                            v.      other impacts

6.      Energy Conservation

                                                              i.      Energy efficiency

                                                            ii.      CAFE standards

                                                          iii.      hybrid electric vehicles

                                                          iv.      mass transit

7.      Renewable Energy

                                                              i.      Solar energy

                                                            ii.      solar electricity

                                                          iii.      hydrogen fuel cells

                                                          iv.      biomass

                                                            v.      wind energy

                                                          vi.      small-scale hydroelectric

                                                        vii.      ocean waves and tidal energy

                                                      viii.       geothermal

                                                          ix.      environmental advantages/disadvantages