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A2 Environmental studies Unit 3 > Energy > Flashcards

Energy Flashcards

1
Q

What are the factors that influence per capita energy consumption

A 
Affluence
Relative cost of energy
Level of industry
Type of industry
Social and environmental awareness
Climate
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2
Q

What does affluence have to do with energy

A

People who have more money can afford to use more energy

Affluent societies can afford to be wasteful

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3
Q

Law of supply and demand

A

More demand mean prices rise and poorer countries cant afford them

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4
Q

Relative cost of energy

A

Energy is cheap because it is locally abundant

Energy conservation is a low priority if energy is relatively cheap

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5
Q

Level of industry

A

Industrialised countries use alot of energy in the processing and transport of goods

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6
Q

Type of industry

A

Heavily primary industries that extract and chemically process materials use the most energy
Light manufacturing and services use little energy

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7
Q

Energy density

A

j/kg of fuel

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8
Q

Intermittency

A

If an energy resource is not available all of the time then it cannot be relied on

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9
Q

Reliability

A

Amount of energy that will be avaliable cannot be predicted

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10
Q

Ease of storage

A

Supply must be equal to demand therefore needs to be stored

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11
Q

Available resource

A

Amount that can be realistically harnessed

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12
Q

Level of technology development

A

Takes time to develop efficient and reliable

Slow process

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13
Q

Environmental impacts

A

All energy resources cause environmental damage

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14
Q

Political and international trade issues

A

Government policies

French government subsides nuclear

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15
Q

Economic issues

A

True costs are unknown
Environmental - not always covered by the consumer
GCC - acid rain

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16
Q

Formation of fossil fuels

A

Plant and animal material buried millions of years ago, anerobic conditions prevent complete decomposition

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17
Q

How was coal formed

A

Plants die and buried under water and dirt

Heat and pressure turned the dead plants into coal

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18
Q

How was petroleum and natural gas formed

A

Tiny sea plants and animals died and buried on sea floor, pressure and heat turned them into gas and heat

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19
Q

What is a resource

A

Any useful substance

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20
Q

What is a reserve

A

Resources that can be profitably extracted

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21
Q

Types of mining

A

Deep mining

Open cast

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22
Q

Deep mining disadvntages

A

Labour intensive
Cannot remove huge quantities of coal
Relatively expansive

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23
Q

Open cast mining

A

More mechanised
All above rocks must be removed
Only used when coal is near the surface

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24
Q

Extraction of oil

A

Petroleum are less dense than water

Migrate up dip until they are trapped,or escape from the ground

25
Q

What is primary recovery

A

Natural pressure forces the oil to the surface
Only works until the pressure falls
Recovers 5-30% of total volume

26
Q

Nuclear power

A

Large amount of energy is released when small amounts of matter from the nuclei of atoms are destroyed

27
Q

Difference of fusion and fission

A

Fission splitting of atoms

Fusion joining of atoms

28
Q

Factors limiting the growth of nuclear power

A

Technology
Disposal of nuclear waste
Strong public opposition
Serious incidemts

29
Q

What problems come with renewable energy

A

Intermittency, unreliability, energy density, ease of storage and geographical restrictions

30
Q

Name two sources of renewable energy

A

The sun

The heat from the centre of the earth

31
Q

Name direct energy sources derived from sunlight

A

Photothermal systems

Photovolatic

32
Q

Name indirect energy sources derived from sunlight

A

HEP
Wind power
Wave power
Biofuels

33
Q

What are photothermal systems

A

Passive solar gains

Hot water can be produced in solar panels

34
Q

How does photo voltaic work

A

Sunlight absorbed by the surface layer of the PV cell displaces electrons that can be used to power electrical appliances

35
Q

How does solar power effect HEP

A

indirect

Thermal=GPE=Kinetic

36
Q

How does solar power effect wind

A

Different amounts of solar heating produce differences in temperature and air pressure
Air movements to equalize these differences cause wind

37
Q

Problems with wind power

A

Indeterminacy

38
Q

Explain how bio fuels are created

A

Solar energy was captured by plants during photosynthesis and stored as chemical energy
Fuel wood is still a major energy source

39
Q

What are the non-solar renewable energy resources

A

Geothermal

Tidal

40
Q

What is geothermal energy

A

Harnessing heat from hot rocks

Heat is from the decay of radioisotopes in the mantle

41
Q

What is tidal power

A

Controlled by gravity of sun and moon

Reliable

42
Q

What is a primary fuel

A

Energy that is extracted from the environment = primary fuel

43
Q

What is a secondary fuel

A

Energy that is not from the natural environment

44
Q

Name secondary energys

A

Electricity

Hydrogen

45
Q

How does obtaining electricity from kinetic energy work

A

Spinning an electric conductor in a magnetic field
Directly harnessing
Converted from other energy types

46
Q

How does obtaining electricity from light energy work

A

Photons of light displace electrons
Surface layer is therefore negatively charged
Free electrons flow along a conductor to lower layer powering an appliance in the process

47
Q

How does obtaining electricity from chemical energy work

A

One chemical accepts electrons, the other releases electrons

Flow of electrons can power electrical equipment

48
Q

How do batteries supply energy

A

Store chemical energy which can be converted to electricity

49
Q

What are the adv/dis of electricity

A

No pollution at point of use
Easy to convert other forms of energy
Easy to transport along conducting cables
No large scale conversions

50
Q

What are the environmental impacts of grid cables

A

Overhead - visual pollution, kills birds

Underground - Habitat damage, need cooling

51
Q

Two methods of releasing energy from hydrogen

A

Combustion to produce heat

Fuel cells

52
Q

Problems with storing hydrogen

A

Compressed gas - kept at 200 atm
Liquefied gas - Kept liquid by refrigeration and compression (must be very low temp)
Metal hydrides - Storage at a low pressure due to hydrogen being absorbed on to the metal matrix

53
Q

What are the main activities that lead to environmental damage

A

Fuel extraction
Site development and management
Material transport
Waste disposal

54
Q

What does fossil fuel burning cause

A

Acid rain
GCC
Tropospheric ozone

55
Q

Environmental impacts of using solar power

A

Some electricity may be required
Maintenance
Extraction and processing

56
Q

Environmental impacts of HEP

A

Extraction of materials
Transport and construction of access roads
Habitat loss during flooding of the reservoir
Flow fluctuation
New habitat created

57
Q

Environmental impacts of wind power

A 
Aesthetic pollution
Noise pollution
Flicker effect
Interference with radio
Kills birds and bats
58
Q

Environmental impacts of tidal power

A

Material used for construction would require transport and quarrying
Increased sedimentation
Pollutants may build up
Static water

A2 Environmental studies Unit 3 (14 decks)

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