Energy
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What is a renewable energy resource?
An energy source which can be replenished as it is being used up.
Give four examples of renewable energy resources.
• Wind Energy • Hydro-Electricity • Tidal Energy • Solar Energy
Give an example of a non-renewable energy resource.
Fossil fuels (for example coal, oil and gas).
What are the advantages of generating power using gas rather than coal?
• Flexible Generation: Gas power stations have short start-up times so can be switched on/off more readily • Lower emissions of carbon dioxide
State two disadvantages of using renewable energy resources to generate power.
• Output often determined by external factors (like wind speed), so supply is uncertain • Generating power through other means is often more efficient and economically beneficial
Explain the environmental impacts of burning fossil fuels.
• Carbon Dioxide contributes to the greenhouse effect, and causes global warming • Sulphur Dioxide leads to acid rain, which can damage buildings and crops
State three advantages of fossil fuels as an energy resource.
• Reliable: Not dependent on external factors so can generate power anytime • Can produce large amounts of energy for a given quantity • Still relatively abundant, so cost-effective
State three advantages of nuclear power.
• Very large amounts of energy for relatively small quantities of fuel • Doesn’t release greenhouse gases and so doesn’t contribute to climate change • Low fuel costs
State three disadvantages of nuclear power.
• Produces nuclear waste which is harmful to humans & must be safely stored for centuries. • Non-Renewable energy source • Risk of nuclear accidents, which have fatal consequences on humans and the environment
How does hydroelectric power produce energy?
• Rainwater collects behind a dam • When this water is released, it is used to turn a turbine • This turbine turns a generator which produces electricity
What are some disadvantages of using biofuels?
• When plants are burned or decay they release COz • In order to grow biofuels, you need to destroy land which leads to problems because: • The land could have been natural habitats • Destroying land may involve burning plants growing on it, which would release COz • Growing biofuels reduces the land available for growing food
What are the advantages of tidal energy sources?
They do not produce greenhouse gases • They are quite reliable, as tides happen twice a day • They are cheap to run as tides are natural, and so are free
What are the disadvantages of hydroelectric power?
• The dam may cause flooding • It can cost a lot to install the required infrastructure
What are some advantages of solar panels?
• They don’t cause harm to the environment • They are a renewable resource • They can be used in remote areas where other types of energy are less accessible
Give examples of social factors which may act as a deterrent for certain types of energy production.
• Visual Pollution • Sound Pollution (both of these are disadvantages of wind farms)
How are fossil fuels produced
Fossil energy sources, including oil, coal and natural gas, are non-renewable resources that formed when prehistoric plants and animals died and were gradually buried by layers of rock.