6.5/6.6 reliance on fossil fuels and alternatives to fossil fuels

Question 1

unconventional fossil fuels

Answer 1

Includes tar sands, oil shale, shale gas and deepwater oil. Often found within pore spaces throughout a wide geologic formation, requiring advanced extraction technologies.

Question 2

conventional fossil fuels

Answer 2

Traditional’ non-renewable fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal).

Question 3

pipeline

Answer 3

A long pipe, typically underground, for conveying oil or gas over long distances. They can also be laid beneath seas/oceans.

Question 4

transmission line

Answer 4

A structure used in electric power transmission/distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances.

Question 5

tar sands

Answer 5

A mixture of clay, sand, water and bitumen (heavy, viscous oil) - requires steam injection to make tar less viscous before being pumped out.

Question 6

oil shale

Answer 6

Oil bearing rocks - can be mined directly or may be ignited to allow light oil fractions to be pumped out.

Question 7

fracking

Answer 7

The process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the oil or gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the oil/gas to flow out to the head of the well.

Question 8

shale gas

Answer 8

Natural gas that is trapped in fine-grained sedimentary rocks. This is extracted via fracking (water/chemicals pumped in forces he gas out).

Question 9

deepwater oil

Answer 9

Oil/gas found far offshore and at considerable depth. Drilling from ocean rigs required to extract resources.

Question 10

shipping route

Answer 10

The path taken by a tanker to transport oil/liquefied gas to the area/point of consumption. Major routes include the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca, and the Suez and Panama Canals.

Question 11

nuclear power

Answer 11

Power generated by the heating of water using nuclear fuel (e.g. uranium). The steam generated turns a turbine, which then runs a generator to make electricity. This process uses fission (splitting of atoms) of uranium to generate heat. This process generated waste, which is difficult to dispose of/process. Uranium is a non-renewable energy resource.

Question 12

wind power

Answer 12

Power is generated via a turbine which possess. The blades of the turbine are connected to a nacelle that contains gears linked to a generator. Kinetic energy from the wind drives the generator to generate electricity. A wind farm is a collection of several wind turbines, which can be located on or offshore.

Question 13

solar power

Answer 13

The conversion of the sun’s energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made from layers of semi-conducting material (e.g. silicon). When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers - the stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is produced.

Question 14

geothermal energy

Answer 14

Utilising heat generated from volcanic processes - hot surface water, or water pumped underground and heated by hot rocks generates steam and powers turbines to generate electricity.

Question 15

hydroelectric power

Answer 15

Water stored behind a dam is allowed to pass through a turbine, which in turn generates electricity.

Question 16

renewable energy

Answer 16

Energy that is generated using energy sources that are naturally replenished within a human timescale/lifetime. These sources can be described as infinite.

Question 17

recyclable energy

Answer 17

The energy recovery process of utilising energy that would normally be wasted, usually by converting it into electricity or thermal energy. This includes heat recovery technology, the re-processing of nuclear waste and combined heat and power (CHP) plants.

Question 18

non renewable energy

Answer 18

Power that is generated from finite resources (e.g. fossil fuels - coal, gas, oil, uranium).

Question 19

biofuel

Answer 19

Energy that is derived from plant/organic material (e.g. ethanol produced from fermented sugar cane).

Question 20

flex fuel engines

Answer 20

Combustion engine (e.g. car) designed to run on more than one type of fuel - such as petrol and ethanol fuel.

Question 21

carbon neutral

Answer 21

Achieving net zero carbon emissions (zero carbon footprint).

Question 22

food security

Answer 22

Having the sufficient quality and quantity (including safety) of food to meet dietary requirements.

Question 23

carbon capture and storage

Answer 23

The process of trapping carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels or other chemical or biological process and storing it in such a way that it is unable to affect the atmosphere.

Question 24

hydrogen fuel cells

Answer 24

An electrochemical cell (like a battery) that converts the chemical energy from a reaction between a hydrogen-containing fuel and oxygen. The only waste product from this process is water.

Question 25

biomass

Answer 25

Organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a renewable source of energy.