Energy Flashcards
What are two advantages of coal energy?
- Generates large amount of energy
- Still enough coal for 200 years
What are three disadvantages of coal energy?
- Burning coal releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
- Mining coal is dangerous - has caused many deaths
- Expensive to develop mines and opencast pits
What are advantages of wind energy resources?
- Doesn’t pollute
- Lowest cost renewable energy
What are disadvantages of wind energy resources?
- Energy is only produced when it is windy
- Ugly
- Expensive
What was 91% of the UK’s energy consumption in 1970s?
Coal and petrol
What is goal for the amount of petrol and coal for the energy mix?
15%
What are the three main reasons for the change demand for energy?
- Rapid population growth
- People more able to afford fuel
- Advances in technology
What are social disadvantages of coal?
- Mining can cause subsidence of building
- Miners at risk of illness and death
What are social disadvantages of oil?
-Leaks/spills expose people to harmful chemicals
What are social disadvantages of natural gas?
-Safe= lighter than air and dissipates when there a leakage
What are environmental disadvantages of natural gas?
- Waste highly radioactive= potential pollution from storing
- Produces less CO2
What are environmental disadvantages of coal?
- Groundwater can become polluted
- Burning coal produces large amounts of CO2
What are 2 environmental disadvantages of oil?
- Oil spillages= pollution of groundwater and drinking water
- Land cleared for oil extraction= loss of farmland
What is an environmental disadvantages of natural gas?
- Made from methane= fewer carbon emissions than other fossil fuels
What is a positive impact of HEP socially?
Could generate tourism tourism,providing jobs for local people as guides
What is a negative impact of HEP socially?
Building dams displaced people from their homes
What is in the London Array?
Wind farm
What is a social benefit of wind energy?
Offshore wind farms like the London Array can generate enough energy to power thousands of
What is a social disadvantage of wind energy?
Wind turbines installed on land can cause noise and visual pollution
What is a environmental benefit of wind energy?
Offshore wind farms like the London Array help to save thousands of tonnes of CO2 each year
What is a environmental disadvantage of wind energy?
Wind farms can have an impact on migration patterns of birds
What is a social benefit of solar energy?
More governments are investing in developing solar energy, creating jobs
What is a social disadvantage of solar energy?
Potential reduction in farmland for farmers to grow crops on
What are two environmental disadvantage of solar energy?
- Many solar parks built in the desert- can damage fragile ecosystems
- Constructing solar panels uses toxic metals like cadmium- can harm the environment
What are different (3) views of renewable energy with individuals?
- More now using energy-efficient products and generating renewable energy, e.g solar panels on roofs
- Some feel renewable energy is too expensive (more than fossil fuels) -don’t want higher energy bills
- People living near proposed wind farms/solar parks may have concerns about noise and visual impact
What are 2 different views on renewable energy for organisations?
- Many see the importance of sustainability
- Increased operating costs may be a problem for small companies
How have McDonald improved sustainability?
- Refuse of cooking oil from restaurants as bio diesel in delivery lorries
- Replacing neon and filament bulb lighting with LED lighting
How do governments handle sustainability (3 ways)?
- World leader’s conferences have set shared targets and measures for sustainability.
- The UK and 195 other nations pledged to limit the increase in global temperature by 2 degrees Celsius at UN Climate Change Summit (2015), including investing in new low-carbon energy technologies
- Many countries are adopting and encouraging citizens to use more sustainable transport systems with the introduction of congestion charging and bicycle
What percentage of the global carbon emissions are produced by China?
29%
Out of 10 how many of the world’s most polluted cities are in China?
7
China produces more coal than USA, Europe and Japan combined. True/False
True
How much energy did Three Gorges generate in 2014?
98.8 billion kWh of electricity ( equivalent to 49 million tons of coal)
Where is the Solar plant in China?
Gobi Dessert
How many homes does the solar plant in Gobi Dessert supply energy?
1 million
What were the three points of China’s renewable energy law (by 2020)?
- Reducing the dependency of coal from 64%-58
- Increase dependency on nuclear energy by 1.5%
- Increase dependency on wind by 4.5%
How much did it cost to make the Three Gorge Dam?
£25 billion
How long is the Three Gorge Dam?
2 km
What is a social disadvantage of Three Gorge Dam?
Fisherman were forced to leave
How much did it cost to make the solar farm in the Gobi Dessert?
890 $million
What is the population expected to be by 2050?
10 billion
How many years do people have to reverse climate change?
10-12
Are there wind turbines in the North Sea?
Yes
Define sustainability?
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future
Define ecological footprint
The impact of a person or a community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources
Where is an example of oil extraction?
Albert in west Canada
Where is an example of HEP?
Brazil and Paraguay
