Biofuels - MT2 - Part 1 Flashcards
How long does it take for the carbon cycle to turn?
Millions of years
What is the most important GHG?
CO2
What does burning of fossil fuels do?
Short circuits the carbon cycle, bringing long buried carbon into the atmosphere
What leads to global warming and ocean acidification?
Burning fossil fuels
Renewable energy
Is energy from a source that is no depleted by energy extraction, or that is quickly replenished
Solar energy
A solar cell absorbs sunlight to send electrons moving from their low energy orbit
Tidal and wave power
Takes advantage of the flow of water to generate energy
What is an example to tidal and wave power? (2)
- Tidal stream generator
2. Tidal barrage
Tidal barrage
Is a dam like structure used to capture the energy from masses of water moving in and out of a bay or river due to tidal forces
Where are tidal and wave power generated?
Not just in any location, not every shore line works
- very specific
What are 3 advantages to tidal and wave power?
- Reliable
- Predictable
- Will never run out
What are 4 disadvantages to tidal and wave power?
- Effects on marine life
- Acoustic issues
- whales could be effected - Expensive
- Limited locations
Where is wind power located? (2)
- Can be on or off shore
2. Located in desert areas, so you need technology to be able to spread that energy
What is an advantage to wind power?
Very abundant
What are 2 disadvantages to wind power?
- Doesnt blow all the time
- no created energy - Not nice to look at
What is an example of wind energy?
Cape wind project
What are 6 advantages to hydroelectric power?
- BC has lots of downhill rivers and we get 95% of our energy from there
- Numerous
- Flexible
- can open and close gates to get power whenever - Cost is relatively low
- Useful in flood control
- Not generating GHG
- only generates it when making cement for building it
What are 3 disadvantages to hydroelectric power?
- Flooding large areas (environmental damage)
- Displace people
- Possibility of dam failure (due to earthquake)
- problematic for those living below it
Geothermal energy
Earths interior is warmer then earths exterior
What is internal energy derived from?
Decaying radioactive isotopes
What % of thermal energy is from the left over process?
20%
What % is from decaying radioactive isotope?
80%
What can geothermal power exploit?
Natural temperature gradients
What country has a lot of geothermal energy?
Ice land
- right above tectonic plats bumping into each other
What is the downside to geothermal energy?
Volcanoes
What is an example of raw biomass/biofuel?
Burning wood
Biomass
The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume
Biofuel
A fuel derived directly from living matter
Nucelar power
Electric or motive power generated by a nuclear reactor
- fission reactor
- has increased over the years
What is the problem with nuclear power?
Disposal waste
- long lived
Nuclear fission
A nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy
What is the problem with nuclear fission?
H bombs
