Alternatives to fossil fuels Flashcards
How has the UK’s energy mix changed?
- used to be fossil fuels dominated due to North Sea oil and gas reserves - however, this is expensive
- introduction of renewables - solar and wind and technologies such as LED that save energy.
- however, now the UK imports more energy than produces - therefore labelled as insecure
how does nuclear energy work?
the heat from atomic reactions is used to produce steam to turn wind turbines
what are heat recovery systems?
the heat inside a building is used to warm air drawn from outside of the building
JAPAN - NUCLEAR
before the earthquake and tsunami, 27% of electricity was provided through nuclear energy.
However, it was then severely damaged but is starting to be reintroduced again
HORNSEA PROJECT - WIND
190m high wind turbines - powers 1 million homes and has created 2000 construction jobs
however, construction creates pollution
CHRISTCHURCH - SOLAR POWER
largest solar farm in the UK - provides electricity for 60000 households
however, takes productive land from farmers
what are biofuels?
fuels produced from organic matter - plant material and animal waste
BRAZIL + MALAYSIA - BIOFUELS
BIOFUEL - bioethanol - sugar canes (Brazil) - emits 80% less co2 - plans to double biofuels 2024
BIODIESEL - vegetable oil and animal waste (Malaysia) however, forests are cleared for biofuels.
RADICAL - carbon capture/storage
the technology used to catch co2 from coal power stations and then transport this to pipelines where the gas is injected into underground aquifers in liquid form
HOWEVER, not financially viable
RADICAL - hydrogen fuel cells
hydrogen - most abundant element but is usually combined with other elements such as carbon, and therefore needs to be separated
- converted to chemical energy - electricity
HOWEVER, separation requires energy (which can be renewable though)
