Chapter 20

Question 1

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) consume ______% less energy than ordinary light bulbs and last much longer. Appliances on standby represent ______% of the typical monthly electrical bill.

Answer 1

90%

25%

Question 2

Super insulated houses now being built in Sweden use ____% less energy than conventional houses in the U.S.

Answer 2

90% less

Question 3

Automobiles and light trucks account for _____% of U.S. oil consumption and _____ of its carbon dioxide emissions.

Answer 3

40%

1/5th

Question 4

True or False. A diesel plug-in hybrid can make U.S. independent from imported oil.

Answer 4

True

Question 5

For hydrogen fueled cars, most hydrogen is currently created from ____.

Answer 5

Natural Gas

Question 6

What is a cogeneration?

Answer 6

•Simultaneous production of both electricity and steam, or hot water, in the same plant

Question 7

Solar Energy: Amount reaching the earth’s surface is ________ times more than all commercial energy used annually

Answer 7

10,000x

Question 8

Differentiate between passive solar heat and active solar heat.

Answer 8

• Passive Solar Heat - using absorptive structures with no moving parts to gather and hold heat
• Active Solar Heat - pump heat-absorbing medium through a collector, rather than passively collecting heat in a stationary object.

Question 9

Which country produces the highest number of solar water heaters in the world?

Answer 9

•China

Question 10

. Parabolic mirrors are __________ surfaces that collect light and focus it onto a concentrated point. It generates enough electricity for 5,000 homes at a cost ________ oil or nuclear power. US deserts could produce nearly ____ times the current US electrical capacity from all sources.

Answer 10

1. Curved, Reflective
2. Far Below
3. 700 GW

Question 11

Photovoltaic Cells Uses ____ energy and convert it directly to electrical current.

Answer 11

Solar Energy

Question 12

What is “Green pricing” ?

Answer 12

•Allows utilities to profit from conservation programs and charge premium prices for renewable energy

Question 13

True or False. Wind is the fastest growing power source in U.S. When compared with coal, photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind requires less land and creates more jobs to for the same amount of energy produced by coal, photovoltaic, or solar thermal.

Answer 13

True

Question 14

What natural materials contribute to production of methane and ethanol?

Answer 14

• Methane from anaerobic digestion of organic wastes (e.g. manure, municipal sewage, landfills)’
• Ethanol from grain or cellulose can supplements our gasoline. Plant oil obtained from plants(e.g. silver grass, corn, palm, sugar cane) and from algae can be significant source of fuel.

Question 15

List advantages and disadvantages of solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, and hydropower dams.

Answer 15

• Solar Energy: Pros: Renewable, low maintainence, reduce electricity bills. Cons: Cost, weather dependent, uses a lot of space
• Wind Energy: Pros: Green resource, renewable, space efficient. Cons: Threat to wildlife, noisy, heavy upfront investments.
• Tidal Energy: Pros: Renewable, Predictable, Green, effective at low speeds. Cons: Environmental effects, expensive
• Hydropower Dams: Pros: Renewable, Ecological, Safe. Cons: Huge cost, may cause droughts,