Energy Flashcards
why has the per capita energy consumption increase
direct uses: heating, lighting, cooking, in home stuff indirect uses; commercial organisations, schools, gov transport agriculture
how does affluence affect energy use
people buy more, consume more and use more energy. more energy is used in making more products. also for more housing
what are the 3 types of industry
primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary
how do climate conditions affect energy use
energy for heating wasted when heating when cold. high wind means heat loss, sunny increases passive solar gain
name the 4 main human activities that use energy
agriculture and fisheries, other industries, domestic, transport
how does agriculture and fisheries use lots of energy
machinery, chemical manufactures, food processing, storage (refrigerated foods), fuel eg for boats and water pumping
how do other industries use lots of energy
machinery operation, heat to melt materials/ baking/distillation, energy for chemical reactions, water and sewage treatment
how does domestic use use lots of energy
space heating, lighting, running appliances
how does transport use lots of energy
transport of goods and people
what are the 3 things that caused a change in energy use
income, population growth and environmental awareness
how does the income change energy use
increase means more consumers can afford to pay for more energy, affluence means higher consumption in goods. more household items to run.
how has population growth changed use in energy
total energy increases with population growth even if per-capita stays the same. struggling countries may struggle to increase national energy supplies
how has environmental awareness changed use in energy
better building conservation, choice in vehicle type and consumer goods, food choices and level of recycling
what restricts availability of energy availability
fossil fuels can’t be extracted, winds high above ground where aerogenerators can’t be located, wave power far from coasts where water is too deep for equipment, low intensity sunlight cannot produce high temps
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for fossil fuels
can only be extracted where economically exploitable deposits exist, need access to fuel supplies, condenser cooling water and suitable construction sites
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for nuclear power
high energy density fuel is easily transported, need access to condensing cooling water and a suitable construction site
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for solar power
needs high light intensity and low cloud cover
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for wind power
areas with strong reliable winds (shallow seas, open plains) and low land-use conflicts (areas with low ecological sensitivity, not near urban areas)
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for hydroelectric power
coastal areas with: high reliable rainfall, small dam with large reservoir basin large catchment area, impermeable bedrock and a stable geology
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for biofuels
nearby forest area, farmland for biofuel crops and crop/livestock waste, near urban areas for food storage area
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for geothermal power
area with hot rocks near ground surface, recent volcanic activity
what are the main locational factors and required conditions for tidal power
areas where tidal range is large, coastal features that focus tidal flow to increase flow velocity or tidal range
why is predictability important
need to know how much energy is available, can make plans to use alternative resources. however som ar intermittent eg tidal
why are high energy density resources most useful
smaller quantities are needed so storage and transport are easier, it’s easier to reach high temperatures
which energy resources have a the highest to lowest energy density
highest; nuclear fission, hydrogen fossil fuels, wood, wind and solar power :lowest
how will appropriate technologies increases efficiency of energy
if appropriate technologies are developed to be able to convert resources into more useful energy forms that we cannot currently do
why is it difficult to move from fossil fuels to renewable energy
fossil fuels have shaped the way societies develop, hard to change. they have different characteristics from fossil fuels,whilst a number can generate electricity they cant reach the temperature levels fossil fuels create, or produce sufficient quantities
what types of energy can and cant be stored
can: chemical energy and fossil fuels can’t: solar, wind and tidal whoever they can be stored if they’re converted into thermal or chemical energy
how come fossil fuels and chemical energy can be stored
they have high energy density so a small mass can be store a large amount of energy
what environmental impacts does energy have
pollution during extraction and use of fossil fuels - global climate change, manufacture of equipment used to exploit is an impact
political influences on energy
may provide assistance to sections: support development cost of new technology, increase national energy security, reduce environmental impacts. done in financial grants, guaranteed price for energy produced, less strict planning regulations
why is it difficult to calculate the full price of energy
price paid by energy user doesn’t always cover total cost, inc environmental damage and cost of mitigating these eg pollution causing acid rain and financial impacts it produces. difficult to assess the cost of some impacts, not fully understood eg climate change
how can the cost of an energy project be divided
running costs and set up costs
why are renewable projects at a financial disadvantage to non-renewable projects
the cost of renewable projects are mostly the cost of the equipment, with very low running costs so most expenditure is from a loan. Non-renewable is mainly running costs, so no loan.
what requires energy supplies to be sustainable
they can be maintained without unacceptable environmental damage or economic and social impacts
how will decisions on energy supplies affect future economies
depleted non-renewable resources will become more expensive, failure to invest in development of future energy supplies could result in shortage for future generations, commitments made for long-term use of future technologies may reduce future affluence
how will future technologies help reduce environmental impacts from energy
will be developed to capture CO2 emissions
for what reasons will the way energy is supplied change in the future
non-renewable resources are depleting, concerns on environmental damage, current supplies can’t meet growth in demand, new technologies are becoming available to harness and store
how were fossil fuels produced
partial decomposition of dead organic matter under anaerobic conditions beneath layers of sediment that were deposited on the earth’s surface or seabed
what features do fossil fuels have that makes them ideal for use
easy to store, high energy density - power high energy intensity activities and efficient to transport, found in very abundant deposits
why does fossil fuels having a high energy density make them useful
high temperature enables smelting of ores / reach high temperatures when they burn so can produce high pressure steam and spin generators to produce electricity / high energy density allows small mass to do lots of work
why is it not worth exploiting certain amounts of coal. natural gas and oil
coal: deposits are too deep, in too small amounts or in hard to reach areas natural gas: trapped in fine-grained impermeable shade deposits
why may a large scale use of recoverable fossil fuels not be possible
not economically viable, cause unacceptable pollution, involve habitat damage, extraction process could cause local earth tremors
