Comparison of Energy Resources Flashcards
What are the factors to think about when setting up a power station? (6)
Set-up costs Set-up / decommissioning time Running / Fuel costs Reliability issues Location issues Environmental issues
Describe Set-up costs for different power stations
renewable resources often need bigger power stations than non-renewables for the same output which is more expensive
Nuclear reactors and hydroelectric dams also need huge amounts of engineering to make them safe, which bumps up the cost.
Describe Reliability for different power stations
All the non-renewables = reliable energy providers (until they run out)
Many of the renewable sources depend on the weather = pretty unreliable. Exceptions = tidal power and geothermal
Describe Running / Fuel costs for different power stations
Renewables have the lowest running costs because there’s no actual fuel involved (except biofuel!)
Describe Set-up / decommissioning time for different power stations
These are both affected by the size of the power station, the complexity of the engineering and also the planning issues.
Gas is one of the quickest to set up. Nuclear power stations take by far the longest (and cost the most) to decommission
Location 1: Solar = [ ] Gas = [ ] Hydroelectric = [ ] Wind = [ ] Oil = [ ]
Solar = anywhere - the sunnier the better Gas = anywhere there's piped gas Hydroelectric = hilly, rainy places with floodable valleys Wind = exposed, windy places like moors and coats or out at sea Oil = near the coast (oil transported by sea)
Location 2: Waves = [ ] Coal = [ ] Nuclear = [ ] Tidal = [ ] Geothermal = [ ]
Waves = on the coast Coal = near coal mines Nuclear = away from people and near water (cooling) Tidal = big river estuaries where a dam can be built Geothermal = fairly limited, only in places where hot rocks are near the Earth's surface
When there’s fuel involved, there’ll be [ ] and you’ll be using up [ ]
waste pollution
resources
Which fuels create:
Atmospheric pollution?
Coal, oil and gas mainly
Which fuels create:
Visual pollution?
Coal, oil and gas
Nuclear, tidal, waves, wind and hydroelectric
Which fuels create:
other problems?
Nuclear (dangerous waste, explosions, contamination)
Hydroelectric (dams bursting)
Which fuels use up resources?
Coal, oil and gas
Nuclear
Which fuels create:
Noise pollution?
Coal, oil and gas
Nuclear and wind
Which fuels disrupt habitats?
tidal, hydroelectric Biofuels
Which fuels disrupt leisure activities?
Waves and tidal (boats)
