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Phys: Topic 1 > Energy Resources > Flashcards

Energy Resources Flashcards

1
Q

What are examples of non-renewable energy resources?

A
  • Fossil fuels

- Nuclear fuel (uranium and plutonium)

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2
Q

What are fossil fuels?

A

Natural resources that form underground over millions of years that are typically burnt to provide energy.

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3
Q

What are the three main fossil fuels?

A
  • Coal
  • Oil
  • (Natural) Gas
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4
Q

How costly is the extraction of fossil fuels?

A

The cost to extract fossil fuels is low, and fossil fuel power plants are relatively cheap to build and run.

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5
Q

How costly are nuclear power plants?

A

Pretty costly to build, and to safely decommission.

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6
Q

What environmental problems do fossil fuels create?

A

Fossil fuels release CO2 into the atmosphere when they’re burned, which adds to the greenhouse effect, and contributes to global warming.

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7
Q

What other environmental problem is caused by burning coal and oil?

A

Coal and oil release sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain.

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8
Q

How can acid rain be reduced?

A
  • Take the sulfur out before the fuel is burned.

- Cleaning up the emissions.

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9
Q

What environmental problems are caused by oil spillages?

A

Oil spillages affect mammals and birds that live in and around the sea.

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10
Q

What environmental problems are caused by nuclear waste?

A

Nuclear power is clean, but the nuclear waste is very dangerous and difficult to dispose of.
There is also the risk of a major catastrophe, like the Fukushima disaster in Japan.

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11
Q

What are non-renewable energy resources?

A

Energy resources that are finite (will eventually run out).

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12
Q

What are renewable energy resources?

A

Energy resources that are infinite (they will never run out).

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13
Q

What are examples of renewable energy resources?

A
  • Bio-fuels
  • Wind
  • The Sun (solar)
  • Hydro-electricity
  • Tides
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14
Q

Do renewable energy resources damage the environment?

A

Yes - but in less nasty ways than non-renewable energy resources.

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15
Q

What is the main problem with renewable energy resources?

A

They don’t provide much energy, and some of them are unreliable because they depend on the weather.

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16
Q

What are bio-fuels?

A

Renewable energy resources created from either plant products or animal dung.

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17
Q

What state can bio-fuels be in?

A

Any state - solid, liquid or gas.

18
Q

How do bio-fuels produce electricity?

A

They are burnt to produce electricity, the same way as fossil fuels.

19
Q

Are bio-fuels carbon neutral?

A

Supposedly, they are - although there is some debate about this as it’s only true if you keep growing plants (or raising animals) at the rate that you’re burning things.

20
Q

Are bio-fuels reliable?

A

They are fairly reliable, as crops take a relatively short time to grow, and different crops can be grown all year round.
However, they cannot respond to immediate energy demands (to combat this, bio-fuels are continuously produced and stored for when they are needed).

21
Q

How costly are bio-fuels to refine?

A

The cost to refine bio-fuels is very high, and some worry that growing crops specifically for bio-fuels will mean that there isn’t enough space or water to meet the demands for crops that are grown for food.

22
Q

What environmental problems are caused by bio-fuels?

A
  • Large areas of forest have been cleared to make room to grow bio-fuels, resulting in lots of species losing their natural habitats.
  • The decay or burning of this cleared vegetation also increases methane and CO2 emissions.
23
Q

How does wind power produce electricity?

A

Each wind turbine has a generator inside it - wind rotates the blades, which turn the generator and produce electricity.

24
Q

What is the environmental benefit of wind power?

A

There’s no pollution.

25
Q

How costly is wind power?

A

Initial costs are quite high, but running costs are minimal.

26
Q

What are the problems with wind power?

A
  • Lots of wind turbines are needed to produce as much power as, for example, a coal power plant.
  • They can spoil the view.
  • They can be noisy, which can be annoying for people living nearby.
  • They only work when it’s windy, so you can’t always supply electricity or respond to high demand.
27
Q

How do solar cells work?

A

Solar cells are made from materials that use energy transferred by light to create an electric current.

28
Q

What are the benefits of solar cells?

A

There’s no pollution (although they do use quite a lot of energy to make).

29
Q

How costly are solar cells?

A

Initial costs are high, but there are basically no running costs.

30
Q

What scale are solar cells usually used on to generate electricity?

A

They’re mainly used to generate electricity on a relatively small scale, e.g. in homes.
They are also more suitable for sunny countries, but can be used in cloudy countries like Britain.

31
Q

What are the problems with solar cells?

A

You can’t make solar power at night or increase production when there’s extra demand.

32
Q

How is hydro-electricity produced?

A

Involves flooding a valley by building a big dam. Rainwater is caught and allowed out through turbines.

33
Q

What are the benefits of hydro-electricity?

A
  • There is no pollution (as such).
  • It can immediately respond to increased electricity demand - more water can be let out through the turbines to generate more electricity.
34
Q

What environmental impacts are caused by hydro-electricity?

A

There is a big impact on the environment due to the flooding of the valley and possible loss of habitat for some species.

35
Q

How costly is hydro-electricity?

A

Initial costs are often high but there are minimal running costs and it’s generally a reliable energy source.

36
Q

What are tidal barrages?

A

Big dams built across river estuaries with turbines in them.

37
Q

How do tidal barrages work?

A

As the tide comes in it fills up the estuary. The water is then let out through turbines at a controlled speed to generate electricity.

38
Q

What are the benefits of tidal barrages?

A

There is no pollution.

39
Q

What are the negative impacts of tidal barrages?

A
  • They affect boat access.
  • Can spoil the view.
  • The alter the habitat for wildlife, e.g. wading birds.
40
Q

How reliable are tidal barrages?

A

Tides are pretty reliable (they always happen twice a day).

However, the height of the tides is variable and barrages don’t work when the water level is the same either side.

41
Q

How costly are tidal barrages?

A

Initial costs are moderately high, but there are no fuel costs and minimal running costs.

Phys: Topic 1 (18 decks)

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