Consuming Energy Resources

Question 1

What are the 3 sources of energy?

Answer 1

• Renewable, non-renewable and recyclable.
• An energy source is renewable if it can be replenished on a very short timescale.
• Wind energy, solar energy and HEP are all renewable sources.
• Non-renewable energy sources can’t be replenished quickly they take millions of years to form. They can run out.
• Recyclable sources are those made from waste products or whose waste products can be used to generate more energy.

Question 2

Characteristics of wind energy.

Answer 2

• Turbines use the energy of the wind to generate electricity, either on land or out at sea.
• Turbines are often built in large wind forms.

Question 3

Characteristics of solar energy.

Answer 3

• Energy from the sun is used to heat water and solar cookers or to generate electricity using photovoltaic cells.

Question 4

Characteristics of HEP.

Answer 4

• Uses energy of falling water.
• Water is trapped by a dam and allowed to fall through tunnels, where the pressure of the falling water turns turbines to generate electricity.

Question 5

Characteristics of fossil fuels.

Answer 5

• Formed millions of years ago from the remains of dead organisms.
• Can be extracted from the ground and seabed.
• As technology develops, it has become possible to extract resources that were previously too difficult or costly to use.

Question 6

Characteristics of nuclear energy.

Answer 6

• Uses uranium atoms.
• When they split lots of heat is produced which is used to boil water.
• Steam turns a turbine, generating electricity.
• Breeder reactors can generate more fuel during the splitting process, making nuclear energy more like a renewable energy source.
• Radioactive waste can also be processed so it can be used to generate more energy.

Question 7

Characteristics of biomass.

Answer 7

• Can be burnt to release energy or used to produce biofuels.
• Easy to produce biomass because living organisms grow quickly.
• Sometimes, its already available as a waste product from other processes.
• Sometimes waste products can be used as fuel.

Question 8

What impacts does mining have on the environment?

Answer 8

• Surface mining strips away large areas of soil, rock and vegetation so that they can reach the materials they want. This can permanently scar the landscape.
• Habitats are destroyed to make way for mines.
• Affects the water cycle because there are fewer trees take up water from the ground. This can lead to increased soil erosion.
• Mining processes can release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
• Released gases contribute to global warming.

Question 9

What impacts does drilling have on the environment?

Answer 9

• Onshore drilling requires land to be stripped of vegetation to make space for the drills and roads to access to the sits.
• Oil spills cause massive damage to the environment, especially out at sea.
• Oil coats cover the feather and fur of animals which reduces their ability to move freely or feed.
• Extracting natural gas from underground reserves can cause ethane to leak into the atmosphere, making the greenhouse effect stronger and contribute to global warming.

Question 10

How does wind energy impact the environment?

Answer 10

• Large numbers of wind turbines are needed to produce significant amounts of electricity and they need to be set quite far apart.
• They take up a lot of space.
• Wind farms produce a constant humming noise, some people living close to wind farms have complained about this noise pollution.
• Spinning blades on turbines can kill or injure birds and bats.

Question 11

How does solar energy impact the environment?

Answer 11

• Some solar farms use ground and surface water to clean their solar panels.
• This can lead to water shortages in arid areas, which disrupts ecosystems.
• Heat reflected from mirrors in solar farms can kill wildlife.
• Solar panels built on the ground can disturb and damage habitats.

Question 12

How does HEP impact the environment?

Answer 12

• HEP plants use dams to trap water for energy production, this creates a reservoir, which floods a large area of land.
• River on which the dam is built can be affected by changes in water flow.
• A build up of sediment can block sunlight, causing plants and algae in the river to die.

Question 13

How does the exploitation of oil and gas reserves bring economic benefits?

Answer 13

• Countries with oil and gas reserves can save money by reducing energy imports.
• These countries can also make money by exporting energy.
• Oil and gas companies bring investments and jobs to an area.

Question 14

How do the economic benefits of exploitation come at a cost to the environment?

Answer 14

• In order to reach new reserves, land may gave to be cleared to make way for pipelines and roads. This can disrupt fragile ecosystems and cause a loss of biodiversity.
• Exploiting off shore oil and gas reserves can have a big impact on marine life. Noise and vibrations. from drills can confuse whales and other marine mammals that rely on sound to communicate, navigate and find food.
• Opening up isolated areas with roads and industry increases air pollution and can pollute soils and water.

Question 15

What is a unconventional energy reserve?

Answer 15

• Exploited using more expensive methods that need specialist technology e.g fracking.
• Extraction takes a lot longer than from conventional oil reserves.

Question 16

What is shale gas and how is it extracted?

Answer 16

• A form of natural gas that is trapped in shale rock underground.
• Extracted by fracking.
• Liquid is pumped into the shale rock at high pressure.
• Causes the rock to crack releasing the gas, which is collected as it comes out of the well.

Question 17

How does fracking negatively impact the environment?

Answer 17

• Chemicals used in fracking liquid as well as the shale gas itself can pollute groundwater and drinking water.
• Land has had to be cleared to build drilling pads for fracking destroying habitats and disrupts ecosystems.

Question 18

What are tar sands and how are they extracted?

Answer 18

• Contain bitumen, which can be refined to produce oil.
• Mainly extracted by mining.
• Surface mines collect tar sand and transport it to processing plants, which use water and chemicals to separate the bitumen from the sands.

Question 19

How does surface mining negatively impact the environment?

Answer 19

• Vast amounts of space is needed, which devastates habitats. This can cause a reduction in the biodiversity of the area as organisms have less space to live and find food.
• Processing tar sands creates huge amounts of liquid waste full of harmful chemicals.
• These can pollute water supplies if they aren’t managed properly.

Question 20

What is energy conservation?

Answer 20

• Conserving dingy is bout changing our behaviour as consumers.

Question 21

What is energy efficiency?

Answer 21

• If something is energy-efficient, it does the same job but using less energy.

Question 22

How can the demand for energy at home be reduced?

Answer 22

• Insulation, by insulating walls, roofs and floors less energy is required to heat homes.
• Modern boilers, are boilers are more efficient than older models, so will use less energy in homes.
• Solar panels can be fitted to the roofs of homes providing renewable, low-carbon energy.

Question 23

How can the demand for energy for transport be reduced?

Answer 23

• Hybrid cars, vans and train combine diesel and electric power to increase efficiency.
• They use electricity when possible, and recharge their batteries using diesel power.
• Regenerative braking, road vehicles and trains can be fitted with devices to store the energy lost under braking, either to be later used or returned to the national grid.
• Engine manufacturers are making more efficient engine in response to laws and rising fuel costs.
• Improving public transport and encouraging walking to cycling reduces demand for energy used for transport.

Question 24

How can the reduction of fossil fuel use reduce carbon footprints?

Answer 24

• Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
• The greenhouse gas emissions are measured as people’s carbon footprints.
• Carbon footprints include direct emissions as well as indirect emissions.
• By reducing their use of energy generated by using fossil fuels, people can shrink their carbon footprints.

Question 25

How can the reduction of fossil fuel use improve energy security?

Answer 25

• Energy security means having a reliable, uninterrupted and affordable supply of energy available.
• Switching to renewable energy sources of energy will make sure energy is still available when the supply of fossil fuels run out.

Question 26

How can the reduction of fossil fuel use diversify the energy mix?

Answer 26

• Reducing reliance on finite fossil fuels and increasing the amount of energy generated by alternative methods will diversify the energy mix.
• Having a diverse energy mix reduces a country’s reliance on a single source of energy.
• This increases energy security because countries are less affected by shortages of one energy source, reducing the risk of energy deficits, where the amount of energy produced isn’t enough to meet a population’s needs.
• Using renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels will also make non-renewable energy sources last longer.

Question 27

What are the costs of using biofuels?

Answer 27

• Sources of biomass have to be managed sustainably to make sure that they don’t run out.
• Growing crops for biofuels reduces the amount of food crops that can be grown and lots of water is needed.
• Growing crops for biofuels is leading to deforestation in some areas.

Question 28

What are the benefits of using biofuels?

Answer 28

• Cause less pollution than fossil fuels when they’re burned.
• Made from waste products so they reduce the total amount of waste produced.

Question 29

What are the costs of using wind energy?

Answer 29

• Unpredictable, so the amount of electricity produced varies.
• Wind turbines cause environmental issues.
• Expensive to transport the electricity produced from offshore wind farms to where its needed.

Question 30

What are the benefits of using wind energy?

Answer 30

• After turbines have been made and transported to a suitable area, they don’t release any greenhouse gas emissions.
• Its a relatively cheap source of renewable energy.

Question 31

What are the costs of using solar energy?

Answer 31

• Sunny climates are needed to produce large amounts of electricity, so its not a reliable energy source in places where theres very little sun.
• Toxic metals are used in the construction of solar panels.
• Solar panels can affect habitats and ecosystems.

Question 32

What are the benefits of using solar energy?

Answer 32

• Once the panels have been made and fitted, no emissions are produced.
• Solar panels don’t require much maintenance once they’ve been installed.
• Technology is widely available.

Question 33

What are the costs of using HEP?

Answer 33

• Expensive to build and require lots of water and land.
• Methane may be released from rotting organic matter in the reservoirs created behind the dams.
• HEP plants can cause other environmental issues.

Question 34

What are the benefits of using HEP?

Answer 34

• No emissions are produced when HEP plants are used to generate electricity.
• Flow of water through the turbines can be controlled, so the supply of energy is reliable.

Question 35

What are the costs of using hydrogen fuel?

Answer 35

• Hydrogen rarely exists by itself on earth, energy is required to extract it. The energy often comes from burning fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases.
• Technology is expensive and not widely available, meaning that its is currently unlikely to be able to increase energy security.
• Storing hydrogen is dangerous its flammable.

Question 36

What are the benefits of using hydrogen fuel?

Answer 36

• Burning hydrogen doesn’t release any harmful energy emissions, the only by product is water.
• Hydrogen is usually extracted from water, so it’s not limited to particular areas.

Question 37

What is meant by the term ‘business as usual’ when thinking about energy futures?

Answer 37

• Everything carries on as normal. We go on getting most of our energy from fossil fuels and not increase the use of renewable energy sources.

Question 38

What is meant by the term ‘move to sustainability’ when thinking about energy futures?

Answer 38

• We reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use and increase our use of renewable energy sources.

Question 39

What attitude do consumers have towards energy futures?

Answer 39

• Want secure energy supplies that won’t be disrupted in the future.
• When fossil fuels start to run out, energy security will decrease, increasing the risk of energy shortages.
• Want cheap power, sustainable energy requires investment which can increase the price.
• Currently favour business as usual as it provides a cheap, secure supply of energy.
• As supplies of fossil fuels run out, and environmental awareness increases, some consumers are beginning to favour a move to sustainability.

Question 40

What attitudes do TNC’s have towards energy futures?

Answer 40

• Involved in extracting and refining fossil fuels and invest a lot of money into the energy sector.
• Controlling of oil reserves give TNCs lots of power and wealth, which means they may lose money if there is a shift towards using more renewable energy sources.
• Sustainable energy needs more investment than fossil fuels, so these TNCs would have higher costs and potentially lower gains, this means they may favour the business as usual scenario.
• TNCs not involved in the fossil fuel industry may also favour business as usual as sustainable energy is more expensive and would be likely to increase their energy costs.

Question 41

What attitudes do governments have towards energy futures?

Answer 41

• Want to secure future energy supplies, fossil fuels are a cheap and relieve way of supplying energy in the short-term, but a more sustainable approach will be needed in the long-term.
• In developed countries, governments are starting to come under pressure from some consumers to protect the environment, this mens they want too start using more sustainable energy.
• Fossil fuels have helped countries to develop and the governments of many emerging countries have concerns about whether sustainable energy sources will continue to help them develop.

Question 42

What attitudes of climate scientists have towards energy futures?

Answer 42

• The IPCC’s climate change scenarios predict a temperature increase of up to 4DegreesC by the year 2100 under business as usual scenario.
• They want to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in order to lessen the consequences of climate change.

Question 43

What attitudes do environmental groups have towards energy futures?

Answer 43

• Want to stop people relying on fossil fuels for energy because their extraction and use damages the environment.
• They want people to reduce their use of fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy sources in Lin eight the move to sustainability scenario.

Question 44

How is rising affluence attitudes to energy futures changing?

Answer 44

• People with more money can afford to make a choice about energy use.
• Governments is developed countries have more money to invest in public transport and renewable energy.

Question 45

How is education attitude to energy futures changing?

Answer 45

• People in developed countries have better access to education through school and the media, this means they have a better understanding of the consequences of unsustainable energy use and increasing emissions.
• People learn how to reduce their carbon footprint, which means theres more interest in using cleaner energy sources. and reducing energy consumption.

Question 46

How are environmental concerns attitudes to energy futures changing?

Answer 46

• Increased access to education means people are more worried about permanently damaging the environment, they’re more likely to try to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Developed countries can afford to incest in research into the environmental impacts of different energy sources, this creates more awareness about energy consumption and how to reduce carbon footprints.
• In developing countries, economic development can overshadow environmental concerns. As a country develops, the environment can become a higher priority.

Question 47

How is a carbon footprint calculated?

Answer 47

• Measurement of the amount of greenhouse gases generated by the activities of an individual or organisation, or by a product over its lifetime.

Question 48

How is an ecological footprint calculated?

Answer 48

• Measurement of how much land is needed to support an individuals lifestyle. It can also be used on a larger scale to calculate the impact of cities, countries or the world population.

Question 49

How are both of these calculated, what are the factors?

Answer 49

• Food, how much meat you eat, food wastage and whether you eat locally produced food.
• Home, the size of your house and how many people live in it. Also looks at the type of energy you use to heat your home and whether your home has energy saving features. - Travel, this is to do with air travel, commuting and what sort of transport you use.
• Lifestyle, this is to do with how much you spend on clothes and electrical devices in year and how much recycling you do.