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EVR1001C > Chapter 16 > Flashcards

Chapter 16 Flashcards

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1
Q

Geothermal energy

A

Thermal energy from beneath Earth’s surface

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2
Q

(blank) of elements under high pressures deep inside the planet generates heat

A

Radioactive decay

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3
Q

Heat rises through ,,and _; Heated groundwater erupts as or _ _

A

Heat rises through magma, fissures, and cracks

Heated groundwater erupts as geysers or submarine hydrothermal vents

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4
Q

Can hot water can directly heat building?

A

Yes

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5
Q

Geothermal power plants use what or steam to generate electricity

A

hot water

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6
Q

Geothermal power plants harness _ and _ to generate electricity

A

naturally heated water and steam

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7
Q

More than _ U.S. homes use GSHPs

A

600,000

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8
Q

Ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs)

A

Geothermal pumps heat buildings in the winter
by transferring heat from the ground to the building
In summer, heat is transferred from the building to the ground

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9
Q

GSHP stands for

A

Ground-source heat pumps

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10
Q

Soil temperatures vary more or less than air temperatures

A

less

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11
Q

T or F? GSHPs heat and cool spaces more efficiently and reduce electricity and emissions

A

True

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12
Q

Tidal Energy

A

Kinetic energy from the natural motion of ocean water generating electrical power
Dams cross the outlets of tidal basins
Water is trapped behind gates
Tidal currents turn turbines to generate electricity

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13
Q

Does tidal energy release emissions or change an area’s biology?

A

Tidal stations don’t release emissions but they change the area’s ecology

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14
Q

Wave energy

A

The motion of waves is harnessed and converted from mechanical energy into electricity; many designs exist but need to be tested

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15
Q

What kind of waves does wave energy use?

A

Ocean currents, such as the Gulf Stream, can be used

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16
Q

Where have underwater turbines been erected?

A

Off Europe

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17
Q

Each day, tropical oceans absorb solar radiation equal to the heat content of _ billion barrels of oil

A

250

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18
Q

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)

A

Uses temperature differences between the surface and deep water

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19
Q

How does OTEC work

A

Warm surface water evaporates chemicals, which spin turbines to generate electricity; or warm surface water is Evaporated in a vacuum and it’s steam turns turbines

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20
Q

Hydro power

A

Uses the kinetic energy of moving water to turn turbines to generate electricity

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21
Q

What are the three approaches for Hydro power

A

Storage technique; run of river approach; pumped storage

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22
Q

Storage technique of hydropower

A

Water stored in reservoirs behind dams passes through the damn and turns turbines

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23
Q

Run of river approach of hydropower

A

Generates electricity without disrupting the rivers flow; water flows through a pipe then returns to the river; useful in remote areas away from electric grids

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24
Q

Pumped storage approach of hydropower

A

Water is pumped to a high reservoir and flows downward through a turbine

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25
What are the two advantages Hydro power has over fossil fuel for producing electricity
It is renewable: as long as precipitation fills rivers we can use water to turn turbines; it is clean and no carbon dioxide is emitted
26
What are some ways damning rivers destroy wildlife habitats
Upstream areas are submerged; downstream areas are starved of water
27
What is a way natural flooding cycles of rivers are disrupted due to hydropower
Downstream floodplains don’t get nutrients; water temperatures are changed, eliminating fish species; dams block passage of fish, fragmenting the river and reducing biodiversity
28
What country has the most dams
China
29
Why is hydropower not likely to expand much more
Because most of the worlds largest rivers have already been dammed; people have grown aware of the ecological impact of dams and resist more construction
30
What percentage of US suitable rivers have been damned, while the rest are ____
98%; protected
31
What percentage of US rivers are protected
2%
32
Bio energy (biomass energy)
Energy obtained from biomass
33
Biomass
Organic material from living or recently living organisms; includes wood, charcoal, agricultural crops, manure
34
The sustainable use of bio energy requires careful consideration of what
The biomass source
35
Over blank billion people is fire for heat, cooking, and light
1 billion
36
How do we harness, use, and process bio energy
We harness bio energy by burning biomass for heating, using biomass to generate electricity, and processing biomass to create liquid fuels for transportation
37
Bio power
Biomass sources are burned in powerplants which generate heat and electricity
38
Waste products industry or processes make when using bio power
Woody debris, pulp mill waste, crop residues
39
Bio energy crops
Fast growing willow trees, bamboo, switch grass
40
Biofuels
Liquid fuels used to power automobiles
41
Ethanol
A biofuel made by fermenting carbohydrate rich crops is added to US gasoline to reduce omissions
42
In 2013, _ billion gallons of ethanol were made in the US mostly from corn
13.3
43
What will increase ethanol production
Congressional mandates
44
To produce all automotive fuel used in the US with ethanol from us corn the nation would need to expand its already immense corn acreage by more than blank times
4 times
45
What are some reasons of growing corn impacts that environmental scientists don’t like about corn-based ethanol
Pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation; takes up precious land; using the corn crop to produce Ethanol drives up food prices; growing corn requires energy for equipment, pesticides, fertilizers, transportation to processing plants
46
Corn’s EROI ratio is _ so it’s inefficient
1.5:1
47
Biodiesel
Produced from vegetable oil, cooking grease, animal fat, soybeans, oil palms, rapeseed
48
Can vehicles run on 100% biodiesel?
Yes
49
What is B20
20% biodiesel
50
Advantages to biodiesel
Reduces emissions; good fuel economy
51
Disadvantages to biodiesel
Costs more than gasoline; crops are specially grown, using land, leading to deforestation
52
Other crops that can be used as biofuel
Wheat, sorghum, sugar beets, hemp, grasses
53
Algae
Produce lipids that can be converted to biodiesel
54
How is algae turned into biodiesel
Their carbs can be fermented to make ethanol; can be grown in ponds, tanks, or photobioreactors; grow fast and can be harvested every few days
55
Cellulosic ethanol
Produced from structural plant material (eg cornstalks) that has no food value
56
Is hydrogen an energy source?
No, it is an energy carrier
57
Hydrogen fuel could store energy cleanly and efficiently by
using the world's simplest and most abundant element (hydrogen) as fuel
58
Electricity produced from _ would be used to produce hydrogen
intermittent sources (sun, wind)
59
__ would use hydrogen to produce electricity to power cars, homes, computers, etc
Fuel cells (hydrogen batteries)
60
__ are funding research into hydrogen and fuel cell technology
Governments
61
Does hydrogen gas exist freely on earth?
no
62
Electrolysis
electricity splits hydrogen from water (2H2O=>2H2+O2); may cause pollution depending on source of electricity
63
Once isolated, ___ can be used as a fuel to produce electricity within fuel cells
hydrogen gas
64
The chemical reaction within fuel cells is
opposite to that of electrolysis (2H2+O2=>2H2O)
65
Costs and benefits of hydrogen and fuel cells
Costs: Need massive and costly development of infrastructure; Leakage of hydrogen can deplete stratospheric ozone Benefits: We'll never run out of hydrogen; It can be clean and non toxic to use; It may produce few greenhouse gases and pollutants; If kept under pressure, it is no more dangerous than gasoline in tanks; cells are silent and non polluting and don't need recharging
66
Hydrogen fuel cells are up to __% energy efficient
90%
67
Each square meter of Earth receives __ times the energy of a light bulb
17
68
Passive solar energy collection
Buildings are designed to maximize absorption of sunlight in winter (windows face south)
69
Most desirable alternative energy source
wind power
70
Least desirable energy source
ethanol
71
Active solar energy collection
uses technology to focus, move, or store solar energy
72
Over ___million US homes and businesses heat water with solar collectors; most is for _
200 million; swimming pools
73
Concentrated solar power (CSP)
technologies that concentrate solar energy to generate electricity; mirrors track sun's movement
74
Solar cookers
simple, portable ovens that use reflectors to focus sunlight onto food
75
Green collar jobs
design, installation, maintenance, and management of renewable energy technologies
76
Who is the world's leader in production of PV solar power, yet the country is cool and cloudy
Germany
77
_____ offer incentives to promote solar energy
Federal policies
78
Feed-in tariff system
Utilities must buy power from anyone who generates it from renewable sources
79
Our global economy is powered by _
fossil fuels
80
Oil, coal, and natural gas supply ___ of our energy and ____ of the world's electricity
four-fifths; two-thirds
81
Renewable sources are used less for _ but more for _
used relatively less for transportation but relatively more for generating electricity
82
Main nonrenewable alternative
Nuclear energy
83
Hydroelectric power and biomass are
renewables and well established and widely used
84
___ are not widely used and are still being developed to use in ___
New Renewables; generating electricity, heating air and water, providing fuel for vehicles
85
What regions have the most wind turbines
Mountainous regions
86
___ employees now work in the wind industry
85,000
87
Over __ colleges and universities offer programs and degrees that train people for jobs in renewable energy
100
88
US growth in wind power has been haphazard because
a long-term federal tax credit could encourage growth
89
What 5 nations produce 75% of the world's wind power
China, US, Germany, Spain, India
90
Thin-film solar cells
PV materials are compressed into thin sheets; less efficient but cheaper; can be incorporated into roofing shingles, roads
91
Net Metering
The value of the power the consumer provides is subtracted from monthly utility bill; fees in tariffs pay producers more than the market price of power so power producers turn a profit
92
Photovoltaic (PV) cells
Convert sunlight directly into electrical energy through electron current arranged in modules
93
Wind speeds are __% greater over water than land w less turbulence
20%
94
Cost to put turbines over water is higher or lower and is more or less profitable and produce more or less power
Higher; more; more
95
What water are turbines limited to
Shallow water
96
The first US offshore wind farm will have ___ turbines and is located where
130; off cape cod, Massachusetts
97
Does wind power produce emissions when installed
No; it prevents release of CO2, SO2,NO7, and mercury
98
Is wind power more efficient than conventional power sources
Yes
99
Turbines produce __ times more energy than they consume
20
100
____________ technologies use no fuels, are quiet, are safe, contain no moving parts, and require a little maintenance.
Solar
101
In developed nations, PV owners can sell excess _________________ to their local utility.
Electricity
102
____________ collar jobs are being created.
Green
103
PV ___________ do not emit greenhouse gases and air pollution went up and running
Cells
104
_______________ leads the world in PV cell production.
China
105
Solar energy is expanding The US may recover its __________________ as a result of tax credit and state initiatives.
Leadership
106
Solar energy use should _____________ as a result of: - Falling prices - impaired technologies - economic incentives
Increase
107
Not all regions are __________________ enough for solar energy.
Sunny
108
What are some downsides to solar energy?
- Daily and seasonal variation poses problems - We need storage such as batteries and a back up power - Solar produces the most expensive electricity, but prices have dropped and efficiency have increased
109
Solar produces the most expensive electricity, but _______________ have dropped and efficiency has _________________.
Prices Increased
110
When energy is derived from:
Movement of air
111
Wind energy is an indirect form of _____________________.
Solar energy
112
Devices that convert wind’s Kinetic energy into electrical energy are called?
Wind turbines
113
Wind blowing into a turbine turns the blades. The _____________ contains the generator.
nacelle
114
Wind Turbine towers are ________ feet tall.
260
115
Wind ___________ may contain hundreds of turbines.
Farms
116
Wind varies from time to time and place to place. - It can be one of several sources of electricity - Batteries or _____________ fuel can store the energy
Hydrogen
117
Wind sources are not always near _________________ centers that need energy.
Population
118
Local residents often _____________ wind farms.
Oppose
119
Turbines kill _______________ and ________________ when they fly into rotating blades.
Birds Bats

EVR1001C (11 decks)

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