chapter 16: energy alternatives

Question 1

whats special about the bay of fundy?

Answer 1

greatest difference between low and high tide in the world

Question 2

why is tidal power better than traditional hydroelectric dams?

Answer 2

hydroelectric dams hold water behind dams (creates many negative impacts). tidal power does not involve this, instead the water has to be retained behind the sliding gates only for brief periods

Question 3

what are the concerns of tidal energy?

Answer 3

interference with normal currents and with marine life

Question 4

what is hydroelectric power?

Answer 4

= uses the kinetic energy of moving water to turn turbines and generate electricity

Question 5

what is the storage technique approach of hydroelectric power?

Answer 5

stores water behind dams

Question 6

what are run of river approaches in hydroelectric power?

Answer 6

generates energy without greatly disrupting the flow of river water

Question 7

benefits of hydropower

Answer 7

renewable, clean(no emission of co2), efficient EROI 10:1

Question 8

what country has nuclear power as its main sourcE?

Answer 8

france

Question 9

what is nuclear energy?

Answer 9

energy that holds together protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom

Question 10

what is nuclear fission?

Answer 10

the splitting apart of atomic nuclei

Question 11

how is nuclear fission used for nuclear power?

Answer 11

splitting apart the atom releases energy.
energy release heats water within the core of a reactor» This heat is transferred through heat exchangers to outer loops where steam generation is possible for generating power

Question 12

what is the nuclear fuel cycle?

Answer 12

naturally occurring uranium is mined from underground deposits

Question 13

what are control rods?

Answer 13

part of the process of creating nuclear energy…. soak up excess neutrons produced

Question 14

why is nuclear reactor safety important?

Answer 14

if not regulated correctly, fuel and core materials can melt into an unmanageable mass and migrate. catastrophic release of radiation into environment

Question 15

what happens during a nuclear meltdown?

Answer 15

coolant water is drained from the reactor vessel, temperatures rises inside the reactor core, and metal surrounding the uranium fuel rods begin to melt, releasing radiation

Question 16

what are the three major events that have been most influential in shaping public opinion about nuclear energy?

Answer 16

three mile island, chernobyl, Fukushima Daiichi.

Question 17

what was the three mile island incident?

Answer 17

a near-miss nuclear meltdown. the most serious event of its kind in US. multibillion dollar clean up took years, no significant health effects to residents have been noted. 1979

Question 18

what was the chernobyl incident?

Answer 18

explosion at chernobyl nuclear plant in ukraine, most severe nuclear power plant event in the world. For 10 days, radiation escaped from the plant while crews tried to put out the fire. 31 died directly, thousands died from cancer after the event 1989

Question 19

chernobyn sarcophagus

Answer 19

giant steel structure to isolate contaminated area from chernobyl incident. a “cover”

Question 20

what was the fukashiima daiichi incident?

Answer 20

a 2011 earth quake in japan caused a tsunami that caused flooding of generators in fukashiima daiichi plant. overheating of reactor cores caused fires explosions and core meltdowns. trace amounts of radioactive material found in the pacific ocean.

Question 21

why is radioactive waste disposal problematic?

Answer 21

the half-lives of uranium, plutonium,
and many other radioisotopes are far longer than human lifetimes so this high level waste will continue to emit radiation for thousands of years. radioactive
waste must be placed in unusually stable and secure
locations and monitored for many, many years.

Question 22

what idea are scientists testing in Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, for disposing of nuclear waste?

Answer 22

geological isolation : long-term storage deep underground in the stable, ancient crystalline rocks of the Canadian Shield

Question 23

biomass

Answer 23

organic material that make up living organisms, can be a source of energy

Question 24

what classifies a “new” renewable energy source?

Answer 24

not used widely, their technology is still in development

Question 25

what is nuclear fusion?

Answer 25

involves forcing together the small nuclei of lightweight
elements under extremely high temperature and pressure, process that drives our suns output of energy…uses hydrogen from water for fuel. low pollution and waste/ not sure yet if nuclear fusion is a viable option, costs lots of money.

Question 26

are fossil fuels considered biomass energy?

Answer 26

no. because the matter from living organisms has been decayed for millions of years

Question 27

ethanol

Answer 27

a fuel made by fermenting biomass.. used to power cars.

Question 28

biodiesel

Answer 28

fuel made from vegetable oil mixed with small amounts of ethanol or methanol

Question 29

t/f: electricity can be generated from biomass

Answer 29

true

Question 30

cogeneration

Answer 30

simultaneous production of different

forms of energy through two mechanisms operating at the same plant

Question 31

land fill gas

Answer 31

anaerobic bacterial breakdown of waste by microbes

in landfills produces methane and other gases/. biogas can be used for electricity

Question 32

pros/cons biomass energy

Answer 32

pro: reduces ghg emissions, cheaper
con: inefficient, affects ecosystems

Question 33

passive solar energy:

Answer 33

buildings are designed and building materials are chosen to maximize absorption of sunlight in winter. usually involves installing southfacing
windows to maximize sunlight capture in the winter .

Question 34

what is the most common way to harness solar energy?

Answer 34

passive solar energy

Question 35

active solar energy

Answer 35

make use of technological devices to focus, move, and store solar energy

Question 36

solar panels are passive/active solar energy

Answer 36

active

Question 37

what is thermal mass?

Answer 37

= construction materials that absorb, store, and release heat

Question 38

how do solar panels work?

Answer 38

Water, air, or antifreeze pass through the collectors, transferring heat throughout the building . heated water is stored and used for later use.

Question 39

power tower

Answer 39

solar energy; = mirrors concentrate sunlight onto receivers to create electricity

Question 40

what do photovoltaic cells do?

Answer 40

collect sunlight
and convert it to electrical energy by making use of the
photovoltaic or photoelectric effect.
A PV cell has two silicon plates, the n-type layer and the p-type layer

Question 41

photoelectric effect

Answer 41

= occurs when light strikes one of a pair of metal plates in a PV cell, causing the release of electrons, creating an electric current

Question 42

net metering

Answer 42

owners of houses with PV systems to sell their excess solar energy to their local power utility.. the value of the power the consumer sells
to the utility is subtracted from the consumer’s monthly
utility bill

Question 43

what is the fastest growing energy sector?

Answer 43

wind power

Question 44

geothermal energy

Answer 44

radioactive decay of elements deep
in the interior of our planet generates heat that rises to
the surface, heating rock and ground water, and generating steam to turn turbines and generate electricity

Question 45

is geothermal energy inexhaustible?

Answer 45

technically. but If a geothermal plant uses heated
water more quickly than the ground water is recharged,
the plant will eventually run out of water.

Question 46

geothermal ground source heat pumps

Answer 46

use thermal energy from near-surface sources of earth and water. e pumps heat buildings in the winter by transferring heat from the ground into buildings»In the summer, heat is transferred through underground pipes from the building into the ground

Question 47

Currently, geothermal energy provides less than ___ of the total energy used worldwide

Answer 47

0.5%. more than solar and wind combined. but much less than biomass and hydropower.

Question 48

electrolysis

Answer 48

electricity is input to split hydrogen atoms from the oxygen atoms of water molecules: 2H2O–> 2H2 + O2
produces pure hydrogen.

Question 49

whats good about hydrogen power?

Answer 49

we will never run out of hydrogen as it is the most abundant element in the universe. can clean and non toxic, efficient