3.4.2: Physical factors determining the supply of energy Flashcards
Insolation rates
The solar irradiation integrated overtime
Highest insolation rates in world
30 degrees North and South of the equator,
sunlight exposure and long daylight hours
Wind energy ideal locations
offshore
high altitude
Examples of wind energy farms
Hornsea, World’s largest offshore wind farm
Denmark
North Sea
World’s largest offshore wind farm
Hornsea, UK
174 turbines in a ‘field’
turbines are 180m tall
1 rotation can power a house for 24hrs
Coal
Formed from dead organic matter being compressed under layers of soil and water to stop decaying process, loss of oxygen left hydrocarbon products = coal.
Where is coal found?
near surface of deep underground
How is coal used to generate electricity
grind it to a powder,
burn it to produce steam,
use steam to turn an electricity generator
Coal overall price
cheap
Tidal power reliability
reliable
Tidal power mini casestudy
Swansea bay tidal lagoon,
World’s first tidal lagoon power plant
proposed project
Hydroelectric power casestudy
Three Gorges Dam, China
Hydroelectric power location requirements
height
high rainfall
rivers
money
Three Gorges Dam, China
hydroelectric power casestudy
$25 billion cost environmental disaster 100 years to make on the Yangtze river, very polluted river biggest dam in the World politics - showing what can be done
Three Gorges Dam, China
advantages
4
control flooding
allows passage of ships
produces electricity
produces 10% of China’s energy needs
Three Gorges Dam, China
disadvantages
4
low water quality
risk of earthquakes caused by weight of water
destruction of many cities in construction
very bad ecologically
Three Gorges Dam, China
water volume capacity
holds up to 3 trillion litres of water
Denmark mini casestudy for which energy type?
windfarms
What percentage of electricity did Denmark produce from wind turbines?
42%
What happens to Denmark’s excess wind energy produced?
It is sold to consumers in Norway, Sweden and Germany
Denmark’s goal electricity production by 2050
produced 50% of its electricity from wind turbines by 2050
Mini casestudy of solar power plant location
Morocco
Solar power plant Morocco
Mini casestudy description
One of the World’s biggest solar plants
area of desert of 200 football fields is covered in solar panels
around 330 days of sunshine a year
in the future ambition to export energy to Europe
Solar power plant Morocco
funding
stable government and economy helped secure funding
60% of cost funded by the EU
