Energy Generation And Storage Flashcards
What are fossil fuels?
A natural fuel such as coal oil or gas formed from the remains of living organisms
What some examples of fossil fuels?
Coal from trees and oil and gas from marine organisns
What to be done to fuels to produce heat?
They have to be burnt
How is heat used in energy generation?
The heat is used to convert water into steam at very high pressure and temperature which is used to drive turbines connected to generators which produce electricity
What is global warming ?
An increase in the temperature of the earths atmosphere caused by the greenhouse effect and increased levels of greenhouse gases
What is an advantage of coal ?
It doesn’t require any processing before burning although it is a usually crushed.
There are still sufficient reserves of coal to last hundreds of years
What percentage of our electricity do we gain from coal fired plants plants?
Coal
What does mining and burning coal produce ?
Waste and and atmospheric pollution which poses environmental problems
What is a disadvantage of using coal?
Waste tips , stockpiles and open pits look unsightly and hazardous and sulphur dioxide fumes from coal power statadd to the atmospheric pollution and cause acid rains which damaged trees and lakes
What is the main source of power for electricity production in the UK?
Natural gas
What are some advantages of natural gas?
It can be burnt directly and does not require crushing , it is easy to transport through pipelines
What is oil hardly used for and is mainly used for?
Hardly used for electricity production mainly used for heating systems and used in rad and sea transportation
