Advantages and disadvantages of energy resources Flashcards
State the advantages of coal
Bigger reserves than other fossil fuels
Reliable
State the disadvantages of coal
Non-renewable
Burning coal, leads to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming
Burning coal leads to the production of sulfur dioxide, SO2, causing acid rain
State the advantages of oil
Reliable
State the disadvantages of oil
Non-renewable
Burning oil, leads to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming
Burning oil leads to the production of sulfur dioxide, SO2, causing acid rain
State the advantages of gas
Reliable
Gas power stations can be started up quickly to deal with sudden demand
State the disadvantages of gas
Non-renewable
Burning gas, leads to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming
State the advantages of nuclear
No production of polluting gases
Reliable
State the disadvantages of nuclear
Non-renewable
Produces nuclear waste, which is difficult to dispose of safely
Risk of a big accident, such as Chernobyl
State the advantages of wind
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
State the disadvantages of wind
Requires many large turbines
Unsightly and noisy
Not reliable, the wind does not always blow
State the advantages of falling water (hydro-electric)
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
Reliable in wet areas
Pumped storage systems allow storage of energy
Can be started up quickly to deal with sudden demand
State the disadvantages of falling water (hydro-electric)
Only works in wet and hilly areas
Flooding of an area affects the local ecology
State the advantages of waves
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
State the disadvantages of waves
Can be a hazard to boats
Not reliable
State the advantages of tides
Renewable
The energy source is free
Reliable, tides always occur twice a dat
State the disadvantages of tides
Only a few river estuaries are suitable
Building a barrage affects the local ecology
State the advantages of Solar
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
Reliable in hot countries, in the daytime
State the disadvantages of solar
Only suitable for small amounts of electricity or requires a large number of cells
Unreliable in less sunny countries
State the advantages of geothermal
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
State the disadvantages of geothermal
Only economically viable in very few places
Drilling through large depth of rock is difficult and expensive.
Define biofuel
A biofuel is any fuel taken from living or recently living organisms
Advantages of biofuels
Renewable - it is a biological source either regrows (vegetation) or is continually produced (sewage and rubbish)
Carbon-neutral - in theory the carbon that the living organism takes in from the atmosphere as carbon dioxide can balance the amount that is released when the biofuel is burnt
Fairly reliable, crops take a relatively short time to grow and different crops can be grown all year round.
What is the solution to combat the problem of bio-fuels not being able to respond immediately to energy demands
To combat the problem on not being able to respond to immediate energy demands, bio-fuels are continuously produces and stored for when they are needed
Disadvantages of bio-fuels
The cost to refine bio-fuels so they are suitable for use is very high
Some people worry that growing crops specifically for bio-fuels will mean there isn’t enough space or water to meet the demands for crops that are grown for food
In some regions, large areas of forest have been cleared to make room to grow bio-fuels, resulting in lots of species losing their natural habitats. The decay and burning of this vegetation increases CO2 and methane emissions. These are greenhouse gases which lead to global warming
