Energy (powerpoint) Flashcards
What are the advantages of coal power?
- it is a cheap way to generate power
- coal power stations can be built anywhere with transport links and cooling water
- there are lots of coal reserves in the world
What are the advantages of oil?
- oil is easy to transport by pipeline or ship
- power stations can be built anywhere with transport links and cooling water
- one power station generates a lot of electricity
What are the advantages of gas?
- light and easy to transport by pipeline
- large amounts of electricity generated by each power station
- gas power stations are built near rivers but can be built anywhere
What are the advantages of nuclear?
- uranium is readily and cheaply available, fuel is easily stored
- a small amount of fuel produces lots of electricity
- no carbon dioxide is produced from nuclear fission
What are the advantages of hydroelectric?
- operating costs are low and energy is virtually free
- no carbon dioxide is produced
- sustainable/renewable
- electricity is constantly generated
- the times when electricity is made can be controlled
- power output can be quickly increased to meet demand
What are the advantages of wind?
- operating costs are low
- no carbon dioxide is produced
- land occupied by wind farms can still be used for farming
- wind is renewable
- wind farms are safe and easy to build
What are the advantages of solar?
- solar energy is renewable
- light from the sun is free
- electricity can be generated in remote places
- no carbon dioxide is produced
- energy can be generated where it is used, lowering distribution costs
What are the advantages of wave?
- huge potential resource for the UK
- more predictable than wind
- no fuel costs
What are the advantages of tidal?
- tides are predictable
- operating costs are low
- no fuel needed
- produces no carbon dioxide or waste
What are the disadvantages of coal?
- produces carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide, which is found in acid rain
- non-renewable
- power stations need a lot of fuel
What are the disadvantages of nuclear?
- some people have concerns about safety
- non-renewable as uranium will run out
- produces radioactive waste, which must be buried in sealed containers
- power stations can’t be switched on and off easily
What are the disadvantages of wind?
- wind turbines shut down in weak/strong winds
- they can only be built in certain areas
- not everyone likes the appearance of wind farms
- can cause noise pollution
What are the disadvantages of biomass?
- an expensive method of generating electricity
- power plants need to be built near a supply of fuel
What are the disadvantages of wave?
- equipment has to be able to survive bad conditions such as storms
- there are high maintenance costs as devices can be far out at sea
- there is no leading device at the moment
What are the disadvantages of tidal?
- the plants only produce electricity for 20 hours a day when tides are flowing
- barrages can be expensive to build
- there isn’t a leading tidal stream device
How does gas generate electricity?
- gas is burned in a turbine (like a get engine on a plane)
- this turns a generator and produces electricity
- the hot exhaust gases are used to make high pressure steam, which turns another generator
- the steam can be used to heat buildings or for making substances
How does biomass generate electricity?
- biomass is plant/animal matter, like waste or sewage
- energy crops are plants that are grown for fuel
- biomass is burnt in boilers
- steam is produced
- a turbine is turned and a generator produces electricity
- sewage can be broken down to produce methane, which can also be burnt to produce electricity
How does wave generate electricity?
-wave energy devices can be fixed to the shoreline or placed out at sea
Oscillating water columns:
- contain a turbine
- waves act like a piston and push air up and down
- the turbine rotates and powers the generator
Point absorbers:
- capture energy as different parts of them move with the waves
- the movement pumps air or liquid through a turbine
- the turbine is attached to a generator
How does tidal generate electricity?
Artificial tide lagoons and reservoirs:
- water is trapped through turbines which are on an artificial wall
- the tide rises and they fill up
- energy is generated
Tidal barrage:
- can be built across and estuary
- hold water back like a lagoon
- creates a difference in tidal height
- water is released through turbines to generate electricity
Devices are placed into tidal streams and extract energy as water flows through blades.
What is renewable energy?
- energy from a source that is not depleted when used
- energy from a source that naturally replenishes within a human’s lifetime
What are the advantages of biomass?
- renewable because new plants and trees can be grown
- supports farmers and foresters
- carbon neutral - has no overall effect on carbon dioxide levels
What are the advantages of geothermal?
- produces no pollution
- running costs are low
What are the disadvantages of oil?
- produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the greenhouse effect, and sulphur dioxide
- non-renewable
- oil is expensive compared to coal and gas
What are the disadvantages of gas?
- produces carbon dioxide
- non-renewable
- the UK imports gas, so it could become expensive if prices rise
What are the disadvantages of hydroelectric?
- dams are expensive to build
- reservoirs flood land
- good sites aren’t always near towns
- there are not many suitable sites in the UK
What are the disadvantages of solar?
- PV cells don’t work when it is cloudy or night time
- the UK is not sunny/hot, so use is limited
- large scale solar panels are only effective where there is lots of sunshine
What are the disadvantages of geothermal?
- it is difficult to find suitable sites for a power station
- boreholes can run out of steam and not be useable for several decades
- dangerous gases and minerals can come out of a borehole and be difficult to dispose of
How does coal generate electricity?
- coal is burned to heat water
- steam is produced
- the steam pushes turbine blades and makes them spin
- the turbines are connected to generators, which create electricity
How does oil generate electricity?
- oil is burned to heat water
- steam is produced
- the steam pushes turbine blades and causes them to spin
- the turbines are connected to generators, which generate electricity
How does nuclear generate electricity?
- nuclear fission produces heat
- water is heated and produces steam
- turbine blades spin, which are connected to generators which make electricity
- the steam generated in nuclear power stations is lower pressure than coal and oil stations
How does hydroelectric generate electricity?
- a dam is built across a river
- the flow of water can be controlled
- the kinetic energy of flowing water spins a turbine
- the turbine is connected to a generator which generates electricity
How does wind generate electricity?
- the blades of a wind turbine work similar to aeroplane wings
- air flows around the blades of a wind turbine, creating low pressure that turns it round
- the blades are linked to a generator, the blades generate electricity as they rotate
How does solar generate electricity?
- solar photovoltaic (PV cells) convert light energy into electricity
- they can be arranged in panels to fit to roofs and buildings
- hot water can also be made
- a black panel is tilted to face the sun
- fluid inside the panel is heated up
- the fluid is circulated to the hot water tank and used inside the home
How does biomass produce alcohol?
- alcohol/ethanol can be produced by fermentation
- plant sugars, or plants such as sugar cane, are used
- alcohol is made from plant sugars using fermentation by yeast
- ethanol can be used as a biofuel (fuel produced by living things) by mixing it with petrol
- this creates a mixture called gasohol
- countries such as Brazil use it due to their waste from the sugar industry and growth of sugar cane being used to make it
- in countries with bigger oil reserves it is less economically viable
How does geothermal generate electricity?
- holes are drilled to a hot area beneath the ground/surface
- water is pumped down the holes
- it is heated and drawn up again
- it is used to heat homes or drive steam turbines and generate electricity
Name 3 environmental impacts of coal, oil, and nuclear.
coal:
-power plants release sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, causing acid rain and smog
- carbon dioxide is emitted, which contributes to global warming
- coal mines destroy forests and farmland
oil:
- power plants release carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
- this can cause acid rain, smog and global warming
- drilling for oil disturbs land and ocean habitats
- oil spills cause significant damage to wildlife
nuclear:
-radioactive waste has to be buried to be disposed of
- if power plants aren’t properly maintained, the reactors can have meltdowns
- this releases radiation into the environment, which can have a significant impact on the health of living things and has a wide area of effect
-areas around power stations that have had meltdowns remain inhabitable for a long time due to the lingering radiation
What is non-renewable energy?
- energy from a source that is not being made
- energy from a source that is being made at a slower rate than it is being used
Name 7 types of renewable energy
- hydroelectric
- wind
- solar
- biomass
- geothermal
- wave
- tidal
Name 4 types of non-renewable energy
- coal
- oil
- gas
- nuclear
