Energy resources Flashcards
Coal cons -3
- Gives off carbon dioxide when burned
- Fossil fuel
- releases sulphur dioxide which combines with water to form acid rain
Coal pros -2
- ‘ready made’ fuel
- relatively cheap both to mine & to convert into electricity
Oil pros -2
- ‘ready made’ fuel
- relatively cheap both to mine & to convert into electricity
Oil cons
- Limited supply
- Gives off carbon dioxide & sulphur dioxide (causes acid rain) when burned
- Fossil fuel
Gas pros -3
- slightly cleaner than oil/coal
- cheap
- ready made fuel
Gas cons
Limited supply
Gives off pollutants when burned
Solar pros -3
- renewable energy resource
- no fuel costs once installed
- no harmful polluting gases
Tidal pros -3
- good for islands (UK)
- can generate lots
- tidal barrage can multitask as bridge & flood defence
Tidal cons -3
- costly construction
- only a few suitable estuaries
- Can have a negative impact on wildlife & tidal flow
Geothermal pros
Potentially infinite supply
Geothermal cons -5
- expensive
- only in volcanic areas
- unreliable
- geothermal & volcanic activity might calm down, leaving power stations redundant
- dangerous elements found underground must be disposed of carefully
Wind pros -2
- non pollutant
- renewable
Wind cons -3
- noisy
- unreliable
- costly to set up
HEP pros 3
Creates water reserves as well as energy supplies
Very reliable
Can operate in reverse - pump water back up into high level reservoirs
HEP cons -3
- can cause flooding
- costly construction
- dams can have major ecological impact on local hydrology
Non renewable energy resource definition
One that effectively cannot be replaced once it has been used
Which fossil fuel releases the most carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned?
Coal
Nuclear pros
- ‘clean’
- cost per unit of electricity low
Nuclear cons
- power stations expensive to build
- risk of accidents
- disposal of radioactive material once a power station is finished with
- non renewable resource
How do hydroelectric power stations work?
- they use the stored gravitational potential energy (GPE) of water in high reservoirs built in mountains
- the GPE is converted to kinetic energy (KE) as the water flows down the mountain to the power station below
The greenhouse effect
When greenhouse gases trap the suns heat in the earths atmosphere & cause the average temperature of the atmosphere to rise
How does tidal energy work
A tidal barrage (a kind of dam) is built across estuaries, forcing water through gaps
How does geothermal energy work
Cold water is pumped underground and comes out as steam
Steam can be used for heating or to power turbines creating electricity
