1.2 Energy Generation and Storage Flashcards
What is energy?
energy involves growing plants or using animal materials, not for consumption but so that they can be burned to produce heat.
What are the 3 fossil fuels?
- Oil
- Gas
- Coal
What are fossil fuels?
a natural fuel such as coal, oil, gas , formed from the remains of living organisms.
What is global warming?
an increase on the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere caused by the greenhouse effect and increased levels of greenhouse gases.
What type of resource are fossil fuels?
finite
What is coal?
- Coal mining in the UK has stopped
- Open pit mining has reduced
- 23% of our electricity is from coal-fired plants, which means that it is imported from abroad
What are the advantages of coal?
- doesn’t require processing before burning, although it is usually crushed
- produces high amounts of energy
- enough coal to last hundreds of years
What are the disadvantages of coal?
- mining and burning coal produces waste and atmospheric pollution, which creates environmental problems
- produces carbon dioxide when burned, which contributes to global warming
- waste tips, stock-piles, and open pits are often hazardous
- sulfur dioxide fumes from coal power stations add to atmospheric pollution and cause acid rain, which damages trees and lakes
What is natural gas?
It is used for heating and cooking and is one of the main sources of powers for electricity production in the UK.
What are the advantages of natural gas?
- emit less carbon dioxide than coal or oil
- UK has shale gas deposits
What are the disadvantages of natural gas?
- highly flammable, so if there is a gas leak, an explosion can easily happen
- extracting gas could cause pollution in the water
What is global warming?
An increase on the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere caused by the greenhouse effect and increased levels of greenhouse gases
What is oil?
- mainly used for fuel and turned to plastics
- very little of the UK’s electricity comes from oil
- small amount is burned to heat water, creating steam, to generate electricity
What are the advantages of oil?
- a small amount can produce a lot of energy
- easy to transport and store
What are the disadvantages of oil?
- creates a lot of air pollution when burned
- impacts water, land use and disposal
What is renewable energy?
- energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.
- non-finite resource
What is the % of electricity production in the UK which is coal?
23%
What is the % of electricity production in the UK which is oil?
<1%
What is the % of electricity production in the UK which is natural gas?
30%
What is the % of electricity production in the UK which is nuclear?
22%
What is the % of electricity production in the UK which is renewable?
25%
What is wind energy?
Wind energy is created through the use of wind turbines. The blades turn with the wind, driving a generator, which produced the electricity.