Energy

Question 1

What is renewable energy?

Answer 1

Energy that has an infinite source, such as solar, wind, or water.

Question 2

What is non-renewable energy?

Answer 2

Energy that has a finite source, such as fossil fuels, like oil, which will run out at some point.

Question 3

Advantages/Disadvantages: Wind power

Answer 3

Advantages: It is renewable, It is eco-friendly, it does not create CO2, it is free, it is good for farmers.

Disadvantages: Expensive to build, unreliable (it is not always windy), it is noisy, many find wind turbines ugly, birds can get injured.

Question 4

Advantages/Disadvantages: Solar power

Answer 4

Advantages: You can generate it yourself, It is renewable, the panels are getting cheaper and improving all the time.

If you could collect .1% of the sun’s energy, you could supply all of the earth’s energy.

Disadvantages: When the sun is behind the clouds it doesn’t transmit as much, it is unreliable, it is expensive to get started, you still need a lot of panels to generate the amount of electricity needed

Question 5

Advantages/Disadvantages: Nuclear power

Answer 5

Advantages: A small amount of nuclear fuel creates a lot of energy, no CO2 is produced, it does not produce much waste.

Disadvantages: Radiation is very dangerous and even a small amount of exposure can cause cancer, while a big explosion can devastate the area, although only a small amount of radiation is produced, it is very dangerous and remains dangerous for a long time.

Question 6

Advantages/Disadvantages: Biofuels

Answer 6

Advantages: Cleaner than fossil fuels, does not add more CO2 to the air.

Disadvantages: If farmers are growing crops for fuel they are not growing food, and this could contribute to world hunger.

Question 7

Advantages/Disadvantages: Hydroelectric Power (HEP)

Answer 7

Advantages: It is renewable, It is eco-friendly, it does not create CO2.

Disadvantages: Requires the building of dams, which is expensive, and damaging to wildlife and ecosystems, it can create imbalances in the water table, some parts of the river will get more water than other parts, causing problems between different towns and countries.

Question 8

Explain the importance of energy development for improving the quality of people’s lives LEDCs

Answer 8

Energy development is important for improving the quality of people’s lives in lower economic developed countries because as those countries develop, their energy needs will become greater, and:
However, as countries develop further their sources of energy may change again. They will probably still be heavily dependent on fossil fuels, but will begin to use more renewable energy and probably more nuclear. The reasons for the change include:

1. Rising prices of fossil fuels
2. The knowledge that fossil fuels are finite
3. Improvements in renewable technology
4. The hope of developing and selling renewable technology
5. Better technology and increased stability allowing nuclear development