Energy

Question 1

What are the pros of wind energy?

Answer 1

-replaces nonrenewables
-by 2030 wind energy could produce 30% of UK energy

Question 2

What are the cons of wind energy?

Answer 2

-visual pollution
-noise pollution
-habitats could be destroyed
-could disrupt birds migration routes/kill birds

Question 3

What is an economic benefit of onshore wind?

Answer 3

Cheaper than other renewables

Question 4

What is a social benefit of offshore wind?

Answer 4

Generating thousands of skilled jobs

Question 5

what are the pros and cons of domestic solar power?

Answer 5

pros:
-govs green deal helps people buy them
-lasts 40-50 years

cons:
-costs around £9000
-cant be blocked by trees
-needs to be south facing

Question 6

what is a carbon footprint?

Answer 6

a measure of the impact our actions have on the environment - how much greenhouse gas we produce through our activities

Question 7

what facors contribute to a carbon footprint?

Answer 7

-clothes you buy
-travel
-energy usage
-food you buy

Question 8

how can you reduce your carbon footprint?

Answer 8

-try to buy second hand clothes/avoid polyesters
-walk as much as possible
-double glaze to reduce energy loss
-buy local food/less meat

Question 9

what is fracking?

Answer 9

a technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock by drilling down into the earth and injecting a high pressure water mixture to release the gas inside

Question 10

what is in the water mixture thats injected in fracking?

Answer 10

water, sand and chemicals

Question 11

what are the cons of fracking?

Answer 11

-carcinogenic chemicals escape while fracking which can pollute water around the site
-uses huge amounts of water
-distracting energy firms from investing in renewable sources/reliance on fossil fuels

Question 12

what can be caused as a result of fracking? example?

Answer 12

-Cuadrilla suspended fracking operating in Blackpool when a magnitude 2.2 earthquake hit the area
-a subsequent study found it was ‘highly probable’ that shale gas drilling triggered tremors

Question 13

what are the pros of fracking?

Answer 13

-driven gas prices down in the US
-allows drilling firms access to difficult-to-reach oil and gas
-creates jobs
-has presented the oppourtunity to generate electricity at half the CO2 emmisions of coal

Question 14

what was the biggest UK energy supply in 1990?

Answer 14

coal

Question 15

what was the biggest UK energy supply in 2014? what had we completely stopped using in 2014?

Answer 15

still coal but a smaller fraction

oil

Question 17

How much of its natural oil and gas reserves has the UK exhausted?

Answer 17

75%

Question 18

Why are fossil fuels likely to remain important to the UKS energy mix?

Answer 18

-the remaining fossil fuel reserves will provide energy for several decades
-coal imports are relatively cheap
-existing power stations use fossil fuels
-shale gas deposits have yet to be really exploited