Advantages and disadvantages of energy resources Flashcards

1
Q

State the advantages of coal

A

Bigger reserves than other fossil fuels

Reliable

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2
Q

State the disadvantages of coal

A

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

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3
Q

State the advantages of oil

A

Reliable

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4
Q

State the disadvantages of oil

A

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

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5
Q

State the advantages of gas

A

Reliable

Gas power stations can be started up quickly to deal with sudden demand

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6
Q

State the disadvantages of gas

A

Non-renewable

Burning gas, leads to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming

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7
Q

State the advantages of nuclear

A

No production of polluting gases

Reliable

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8
Q

State the disadvantages of nuclear

A

Non-renewable

Produces nuclear waste, which is difficult to dispose of safely

Risk of a big accident, such as Chernobyl

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9
Q

State the advantages of wind

A

Renewable

The energy source is free

No production of polluting gases

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10
Q

State the disadvantages of wind

A

Requires many large turbines
Unsightly and noisy
Not reliable, the wind does not always blow

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11
Q

State the advantages of falling water (hydro-electric)

A

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

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12
Q

State the disadvantages of falling water (hydro-electric)

A

Only works in wet and hilly areas

Flooding of an area affects the local ecology

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13
Q

State the advantages of waves

A

Renewable

The energy source is free

No production of polluting gases

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14
Q

State the disadvantages of waves

A

Can be a hazard to boats

Not reliable

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15
Q

State the advantages of tides

A

Renewable

The energy source is free

Reliable, tides always occur twice a dat

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16
Q

State the disadvantages of tides

A

Only a few river estuaries are suitable

Building a barrage affects the local ecology

17
Q

State the advantages of Solar

A

Renewable

The energy source is free

No production of polluting gases

Reliable in hot countries, in the daytime

18
Q

State the disadvantages of solar

A

Only suitable for small amounts of electricity or requires a large number of cells

Unreliable in less sunny countries

19
Q

State the advantages of geothermal

A

Renewable

The energy source is free

No production of polluting gases

20
Q

State the disadvantages of geothermal

A

Only economically viable in very few places

Drilling through large depth of rock is difficult and expensive.

21
Q

Define biofuel

A

A biofuel is any fuel taken from living or recently living organisms

22
Q

Advantages of biofuels

A

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.

23
Q

What is the solution to combat the problem of bio-fuels not being able to respond immediately to energy demands

A

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

24
Q

Disadvantages of bio-fuels

A

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