Energy Resources Flashcards
what are the two main types of non-renewable energy
- fossil fuels
- nuclear fuels
what are fossil fuels
- natural resources that form underground for millions of years
- that are typically burnt to provide energy
what are the three main fossil fuels
- coal
- gas
- and oil
why are fossil fuels and nuclear energy considered to be reliable
- theres still plenty of fuel around to meet the current demand
- and power plants always have fuel in stock
why is it an advantage for fossil fuels and nuclear energy to be reliable
- they can respond quickly to changes in energy demand
- they use more fuel to release more energy
what are two advantages of fossil fuels
- the cost to extract fossil fuels is low
- fossil fuel power plants are relatively cheap to build and run
why is nuclear power more expensive than fossil fuels
- because the power plants are more expensive to build
- and there are costs for safe decommission
what is the impending disadvantage of fossil fuels
- they are a finite resource
- as we are using more than is being produced
- so they are slowly running out
what environmental problem do fossil fuels create
- they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when theyre burned
- which adds to the greenhouse effect and contributes to global warming
how do fossil fuels cause acid rain and how can it be combated
- burning coal and oil releases sulfur dioxide
- which causes the acid rain
- it can be reduced by taking the sulfur out before the fuel is burned
- or by cleaning up the emissions
what environmental problem do oil spills cause
it affects mammals and birds that live in and around the area
what are the dangers of nuclear power
- although it is clean, the nuclear waste is very dangerous and difficult to dispose of
- theres always a risk of a major catastrophe like the fukushima disaster in japan
what are some examples of renewable energy sources
- bio-fuels
- wind
- solar
- hydro-electric
- tidal
what is an advantage and disadvantage about renewable energy
- and advantage is that they will never run out, so the energy can be renewed as it is used
- a disadvantage is that they dont provide much energy and some of them are unreliable as they depend on the weather
what are biofuels and how are they used an an energy resource
- renewable energy resources that can either be created from plant products or animal dung
- they can be solid, liquid or gas
- and can be burned to produce electricity or run cars in the same way as fossil fuels
what is a supposed advantage about bio-fuels
- that they are carbon neutral
- although there is some debate
- as it is only really true if you are growing plants at the rate that you are burning things
why are bio-fuels considered to be fairly reliable
- because the crops take a relatively short time to grow
- and different crops can be grown all year round
what is done to combat the fact that bio-fuels cant respond to immediate energy demands
bio-fuels are continuously produced and stored for when they are needed
what are the disadvantages of bio-fuels
- the cost to refine bio-fuels is very high
- and some worry that growing crops specifically for bio-fuels means there isnt enough space or water to meet the demands for crops that are grown for food
what is an environmental disadvantage of bio-fuels
- im some regions, large areas of forests have been cleared to make room to grow bio-fuels
- resulting in lots of species losing their natural habitats
- the decay or burning of vegetation also increases methane and CO2 emissions
