GEOTHERMAL

U.S. Geothermal Resource Maps

These static U.S. maps illustrate geothermal power plants, resources for enhanced geothermal systems, and hydrothermal sites. They may be used in electronic and printed publications with proper attribution.

	Title: Geothermal Resources of the United States—Identified Hydrothermal Sites and Favorability of Deep Enhanced Geothermal Systems Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2018 File Type/Resolution: JPG, 300 ppi Print Format: Tabloid (11"x17") Source: NREL.energy
	Title: Estimated Undiscovered Hydrothermal Resource of the United States of America Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2018 File Type/Resolution: JPG, 300 ppi Print Format: Tabloid (11"x17") Source: NREL.energy
	Title: Geothermal Power Generation—Current and Planned Nameplate Capacity (MW) by State Publication Date: Nov. 28, 2016 File Type/Resolution: JPG, 300 ppi Print Format: Letter (8.5"x11") Source: NREL.energy
	Title: Operating Geothermal Power Plants Publication Date: July 9, 2014 File Type/Resolution: JPG, 300 ppi Print Format: Letter (8.5"x11") Source: NREL.energy
	Title: Developing Geothermal Power Plants Publication Date: Aug. 4, 2014 File Type/Resolution: JPG, 300 ppi Print Format: Letter (8.5"x11") Source: NREL.energy

SOLAR

	Title: Global Horizontal Solar Irradiance - Americas Model: PSM v3.0 Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2018 File Type/Resolution: JPG, 300 ppi Print Format: Letter (8.5"x11") Source: NREL.energy
	Title: U.S. Annual Solar GHI Model: PSM v3.0 Publication Date: Feb. 22, 2018 File Type/Resolution: JPG, 300 ppi Print Format: Tabloid (11"x17") Source: NREL.energy

Global Solar Radiation

The data available in the NSRDB for various international countries was developed using one of two different models: the Physical Solar Model (PSM) that is used for the latest version of the U.S. NSRDB data, and the SUNY Semi-Empirical model, which is described in detail below. A summary of these international data sets is provided in the table below.

Photovoltaic Electricity Potential

Global Horizontal Irradiation

Direct Normal Irradiation

Electricity & Gas Supply Infrastructure Malaysia

National Grid, Malaysia (Malay: Grid Nasional) is the high-voltage electric power transmission network in Peninsular Malaysia. It is operated and owned by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) by its Transmission Division.

OTHERS

	Title: Anahuac: Mineral Resources and Selected Oil and Gas Infrastructure Description: Map showing mineral resources (oil, gas, sand, clay, etc.) in the Anahuac region of the Texas Barrier Islands coastline area.  Scale 1:100,000. Physical Description: 1 map ; 72 x 119 cm. View a full description of this map (University of North Texas)
	Title:  Anahuac: Biological Resources Description: Map showing biological resources (birds, oysters, fishes,  grasses, etc.) in the Anahuac region of the Texas Barrier Islands coastline area. Scale 1:100,000. Physical Description: 1 map ; 72 x 119 cm. View a full description of this map (University of North Texas)
	Title: Anahuac: Socioeconomic and Natural Features Description: Map showing various sites and features (recreation sites, water  treatment facilities, public lands, historic sites, transportation, etc.) in  the Anahuac region of the Texas Barrier Islands coastline area. Scale 1:100,000. Physical Description: 1 map ; 72 x 119 cm. View a full description of this map (University of North Texas)

Nuclear Fusion Explained | Click View

The energy produced by nuclear fusion powers stars like our own Sun. This clip examines nuclear fusion, including what occurs at the sub-atomic level and why the energy released by fusion is vastly greater than in nuclear fission. Einstein’s equation, E = mc2 is used to calculate specific energy quantities. Senior secondary students of chemistry and physics will find this a valuable resource.

How Does a Nuclear Power Plant Work? | ENGIE Belgium

Are you interested in how a nuclear power plant exactly works? We will take you through the whole process: from nuclear fission to electricity.

Nuclear Reactor - Understanding How it Works | Physics Elearnin Video

Nuclear reactors are the modern day devices extensively used for power generation as the traditional fossil fuels, like coal, are at the breach of extinction. A nuclear reactor is the source of intense heat which is in turn used for generation of power in nuclear power station. Its mechanism is similar to that of a furnace in a steam generator; the steam is used to drive the turbines of the electric generator system. A nuclear reactor consists of three crucial components: Fuel elements, moderator and control rods. Fuel elements come usually in the shape of thin rods of about 1cm in diameter and contain fissionable nuclei, like Uranium (235 92U or 238 92U). These rods vary in number according to the size of the reactor, in large power reactor thousands of fuel elements are placed close to each other. This region where these fuel elements are placed is called the reactor core. These fuel elements are normally immersed in water which acts as a moderator. The objective of a moderator is to slow down the energy neutrons in a nuclear reactor which are produced during the nuclear fission process by the fuel elements. Thermal neutrons, which are neutrons with energy of about 0.04 electron volts, are capable of producing fission reaction with 235 92U. During the fission reaction process, new neutrons are given out which have energies of about 1 MeV. These neutrons of typically escape from participating in another fission process as they are accompanied by enormous energy release. In f -ct, the probability of these neutrons produce another fission reaction is 500 times less than as compared to that of a thermal neutron. This is where moderator is extremely useful. Moderator has the capability to slow down, or in other words moderate, the speed of these high-energy neutrons, so that they can in turn be used for a chain reaction to trigger multiple fission reactions of other 235 92U nucleus. Commonly, ordinary or heavy water is used as moderator in nuclear reactors because of the deuterons present in them which are capable of slowing the neutron speed. Water molecules in the moderator are useful in slowing down the high-energy neutrons which leave the fuel-element after nuclear fission. These high-energy neutrons collide with water molecules thereby losing out on some energy with every collision and therefore slow down substantially. A new fission reaction can now be triggered using this slow neutron by striking it with the fuel element. The third and of the most prominent part of a nuclear reactor are the control rods. In order to get a steady output of energy from the nuclear reactor, every single nuclear fission reaction should trigger another fission reaction and ensure the availability of a spare neutron released to trigger the chain reaction. By controlling the number of spare neutrons available at any given time, the rate of the nuclear fission chain reaction can be controlled. This control on the fission reaction can be maintained using the control rods. The main function of the control rods is to absorb any excess or spare neutron in the moderator in order to prevent any further fission reaction. Usually such control rods are made of Boron or Cadmium. To increase the rate of fission reactions, these rods can be removed from the moderator. A steady output of energy can be thus maintained by inserting or removing the control rods in the nuclear reactor. Now that we know the components of a nuclear reactor, let us understand the working of a nuclear reactor. It is usually enclosed in a shield made of thick concrete walls. It consists of a reactor core, pump and heat exchanger. The reactor core and pump are in placed in contact with the water, which is usually the heat exchanger used in reactors. Due to the enormous amount of heat released dusing nuclear fission reaction, this surrounding water gets heated up and changes to steam, which is in turn used to turn the turbines. Thus huge heat energy gets converted into electrical energy. Water is continuously flown in and out of the nuclear reactor using the pump. Thus a nuclear reactor successfully generates nuclear energy from fission reaction.

Energy is the capacity of a physical system to perform work. 

Renewable energy technologies have come a long way. But public attitudes lag far behind.

Fossil fuel energy is a term used to describe a group of energy sources that were formed when ancient plants and organisms were subject to intense heat and pressure over millions of years.

May 5, 2022

One of the most important electric power system trends of the 2010s was the rapid deployment of wind turbines and photovoltaic arrays, but a twist for the 2020s may be the rapid deployment of ‘hybrid’ generation resources. Hybrid power plants typically combine solar or wind (or other energy sources) with co-located storage. While hybridization helps to ease the challenge of balancing variable supply and demand, its relative novelty means that research is needed to facilitate integration and promote innovation. Combining the characteristics of multiple energy, storage, and conversion technologies poses complex questions for grid operations and economics. Project developers, system operators, planners, and regulators would benefit from better data, methods, and tools to estimate the costs, values, and system impacts of hybrid projects. This publication showcases some of Berkeley Lab’s robust research programs intended to support private- and public-sector decision-making about hybrid plants in the United States. Our short briefing summarizes articles that we published between 2020 and 2022, links to the in-depth reports, and provides contact details for further engagement on the specific research topics.

Source: Berkeley Lab

Hydropower or hydroelectricity refers to the conversion of energy from flowing water into electricity.

Alternative Energy is a term used to refer to any source of energy that is not derived from fossil fuels.

This video outlines the process of turning crude oil extracted from the earth into the treated petroleum products that are used so widely in modern manufacturing.

Solar energy refers to technologies that convert the sun’s heat or light to another form of energy for use.

The energy harnessed from moving water can be used to create electricity; the two most common technologies for this are – Hydropower and Tidal Power.

Wind Energy refers to technology that converts the air’s motion into mechanical energy usually for electricity production.