In industrialized countries, approximately 80 percent of energy comes from fossil fuels, primarily oil, natural gas, and coal. These sources are extensively used for electricity generation, transportation, and industrial processes. While there is a growing shift toward renewable energy sources, fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy landscape due to their established infrastructure and cost-effectiveness.
The Ten Percent Law refers to the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another.
The 10 percent rule, often associated with energy transfer in ecosystems, suggests that only about 10 percent of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next, while the rest is lost as heat, contributing to entropy. Entropy, in thermodynamic terms, refers to the measure of disorder or randomness in a system, and as energy is dissipated, the overall entropy of the ecosystem increases. This interplay illustrates how energy transformations lead to increased disorder, underscoring the inefficiencies of energy transfer within ecological systems. Thus, the 10 percent rule highlights the inevitable increase in entropy as energy flows through trophic levels.
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A system that is 35 percent efficient converts 35 percent of the input energy into useful work or output, while the remaining 65 percent is lost, often as waste heat or through other inefficiencies. For instance, in an engine, if it burns fuel to produce power, a 35 percent efficiency means that only 35 percent of the fuel's energy is effectively used for propulsion, with the rest wasted. This efficiency rating helps gauge performance and indicates potential areas for improvement.
biomass
Biomass
fossil fuels
Coal provides about 40 percent of the world's energy supply. It is a major source of electricity generation in many countries, especially in Asia. However, coal is also a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Industrialized nations have the greatest energy needs. However, non-industrialized nations aspire to become industrialized, so in that sense everybody has comparable energy needs, it's just that not everybody has obtained the energy that they need or the means to make use of it.
It provides about 19 percent of US electricity and about 16 percent world-wide
fossil fuels
15 grams of Nitrogen are contained in a 2500 kcalorie diet that provides 15 percent of the energy as a protein.
Industrialised countries use more fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas)Industrialised countries release more carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas)Industrialised countries are more responsible for global warming and climate change.
Nuclear power provides about 10% of the world's electricity. In countries like France and the United States, nuclear power plays a significant role in the energy mix and provides a substantial portion of their electricity needs.
natural gas
High energy use Complex industrialized bases Low population growth High per capita incomes