Energy Resources

Question 1

What are examples of non-renewable energy resources?

Answer 1

• Fossil fuels

- Nuclear fuel (uranium and plutonium)

Question 2

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What are the three main fossil fuels?

Answer 3

• Coal
• Oil
• (Natural) Gas

Question 4

How costly is the extraction of fossil fuels?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

How costly are nuclear power plants?

Answer 5

Pretty costly to build, and to safely decommission.

Question 6

What environmental problems do fossil fuels create?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

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

Answer 7

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

Question 8

How can acid rain be reduced?

Answer 8

• Take the sulfur out before the fuel is burned.

- Cleaning up the emissions.

Question 9

What environmental problems are caused by oil spillages?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What environmental problems are caused by nuclear waste?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

What are non-renewable energy resources?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What are renewable energy resources?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What are examples of renewable energy resources?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Do renewable energy resources damage the environment?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What is the main problem with renewable energy resources?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What are bio-fuels?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What state can bio-fuels be in?

Answer 17

Any state - solid, liquid or gas.

Question 18

How do bio-fuels produce electricity?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Are bio-fuels carbon neutral?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Are bio-fuels reliable?

Answer 20

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).

Question 21

How costly are bio-fuels to refine?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

What environmental problems are caused by bio-fuels?

Answer 22

• 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.

Question 23

How does wind power produce electricity?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What is the environmental benefit of wind power?

Answer 24

There’s no pollution.

Question 25

How costly is wind power?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What are the problems with wind power?

Answer 26

- 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.

Question 27

How do solar cells work?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

What are the benefits of solar cells?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

How costly are solar cells?

Answer 29

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

Question 30

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

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

What are the problems with solar cells?

Answer 31

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

Question 32

How is hydro-electricity produced?

Answer 32

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

Question 33

What are the benefits of hydro-electricity?

Answer 33

- 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.

Question 34

What environmental impacts are caused by hydro-electricity?

Answer 34

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

Question 35

How costly is hydro-electricity?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

What are tidal barrages?

Answer 36

Big dams built across river estuaries with turbines in them.

Question 37

How do tidal barrages work?

Answer 37

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.

Question 38

What are the benefits of tidal barrages?

Answer 38

There is no pollution.

Question 39

What are the negative impacts of tidal barrages?

Answer 39

- They affect boat access. - Can spoil the view. - The alter the habitat for wildlife, e.g. wading birds.

Question 40

How reliable are tidal barrages?

Answer 40

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.

Question 41

How costly are tidal barrages?

Answer 41

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