Chapter 3: Energy Resources Flashcards
What are the most common forms of power production?
Burning oil, coal, and gas
What other method of power production do you use?
Nuclear power, biofuels and renewable resources
How are nuclear power stations powered?
Uranium or plutonium is used as the fuel. 10,000 joules more energy is released per kg of plutonium or uranium than per kg of coal.
What is a biofuel?
They are renewable sources of energy. Biofuels such as methane and ethanol can be used to generate electricity.
What is a wind turbine?
It is an electricity generator on top of a tall tower
How do waves generate energy?
By turning a floating generator
What is a hydroelectric generator
They are turned by water running downhill
What is a tidal power station?
A tidal power station traps each high tide and uses it to turn generators.
What are solar cells?
Are flat solid cells and use the sun’s energy to generate electricity directly.
What are solar heating panels?
Solar heating panels use the suns energy to heat up water directly
What is geothermal energy?
Comes from energy transferred by radioactive substances deep within the earth.
How does water pumping generate electricity?
Water is pumped into hot rocks underground which produces steam to drive turbines at the earths surface that generate electricity
What is wrong with burning fossil fuels?
Fossil fuels produce increased levels of greenhouse gases, which could cause global warming.
What is the byproduct of nuclear energy?
They produce radioactive waste
What is a renewable energy resource?
They never run out
They do not produce any harmful waste products
They can be used in remote areas.
But they cover a large area and can disturb the natural habitat
