P3 - ENERGY RESOURCES

• Fossil fuels • Nuclear power • Non-renewables

Fuel taken from a living or recently living organism such as animal waste.

• Methane • Woodchip • Animal waste

• Its source is continually produced, meaning it’s used at the same rate it’s replaced. • The carbon the living organism took in, is balanced when the biofuel is burnt.

• A nuclear atom (uranium or plutonium) splits when unstable. • Energy transferred from nucleus. • Core becomes very hot. • Heats water becoming steam, drives turbines and generates electricity.

• They are renewable, and therefore will never run out. They are also carbon-neutral, and therefore cause no negative impact on the environment like acid rain. • It requires large areas of land, and isn’t able to meet the current global demand.

• It can release thousands of times more energy than fossil fuels, and doesn’t release CO2 when the uranium is burnt. • There is a risk of an explosion; fuel rods create radioactive waste; it’s expensive to decommission and build nuclear power stations.

• It is incredibly efficient in windy areas, and is renewable. • It’s very unreliable depending on location, and offshore wind farms affect animal life.

The kinetic energy of the wind turns blades in a generator.

• The waves make a floating generator move. • Turns a generator, which generates electricity. • A cable delivers electricity to the National Grid.

• It is renewable. • They aren’t a constant supply of electricity, and many cables are needed to connect the wave-powered generator. It spoils the coastline, and affects tidal patterns.

Rainwater collected in a reservoir flows downhill. The flow drives turbines, which turn generators at the bottom of the hill.

• Renewable; doesn’t produce carbon dioxide. • Takes up a lot of land, negatively impacting wildlife.

• The generator traps water behind a barrage. • The high tide is released into the sea through turbines. • Turbines drive generators, generating electricity.

• Low demand means electricity is used to pump water uphill into the reservoir. • High demand allows the water to flow downhill, generating electricity.

They convert solar energy released by nuclear fusion into electricity.

• Heat up water. • Firstly, cold water is pumped to the solar panel. It’s heated by the Sun and transferred to a tank. • In the tank, the water is heated to become steam, which drives a turbine. This drives a generator, generating electricity.

• Renewable, no fuel costs, no polling gases released. • Doesn’t work at night or cloudy weather

Energy that comes from the Earth. • Water is pumped down in volcanic areas to be heated as steam, which drives turbines on the surface, generating electricity. • Its main drawback is that it’s bound to specific areas of the world.

• They will never run out; they don’t produce greenhouse gases of acid rain; they don’t create radioactive waste; some like solar can be used without connection to the National Grid in remote areas. • They can’t meet the global demand; they require large areas of land; they aren’t available all the time or are unreliable; geothermal and wind require specific locations.

• Natural gas has its sulphur impurities removed. It is effective at currently meeting the global demand. They also (gas) have a quick start up time. • They release greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, increasing global warming. Sulphur dioxide can also produce acid rain. They are non-renewable.

• Hydroelectric reservoirs could run dry. • Wind/waves could be weak • Tide varies on monthly and annual cycles. • No solar energy at night; variable during the day.

Shortest is natural gas; longest is nuclear Gas Oil Coal Nuclear

People are becoming environmentally aware.