energy resources Flashcards
what is non-reenable energy?
resources that will run out one day
what are the three main fossil fuels?
coal, oil and (natural) gas
how do they effect the environment?
they all do damage to the environment
what are renewable resources?
resources that will never run out
what are examples of renewable energy sources?
solar, wind, water waves, hydro-electricity, bio-fuel, tides and geothermal
how do they effect the environment?
most of them do damage but less so then non-renewables
what is the problem with them?
they don’t provide much energy and some of them are unreliable because they depend on weather
how can non-renewable energy resources be used for transport?
petrol and diesel, powered vehicles use fuel created from oil, coal is used some old-fashioned steam trains
how can renewable energy sources be used for transport?
vehicles that run on pure bio-fuels or a mix of bio-fuel and petrol or diesel
how can non-renewable energy resources be used for heating?
natural gas is a widely used fuel for heating homes, coal is burnt in fireplaces, electric heaters use electricity generated from non-renewables
how can renewable energy resources be used for heating?
geothermal heat pumps to heat buildings, solar water heaters heat the water which is taken into radiators and burning bio-fuel or using electricity for renewables
what is wind power?
lots of wind turbines in exposed places that each have a generator in them to produce electricity
what are the advantages of wind power?
no pollution except the manufacturing, no permanent damage, no fuel costs and minimal running costs
what are the disadvantages of wind power?
spoil the view, very noisy, when the wind stops or becomes too strong you can’t increase supply and initial costs are quite high
what are solar cells?
generate electric currents directly from sunlight
what are the advantages of solar power?
no pollution except from manufacturing and after initial costs energy is free and running costs are very small
what are the disadvantages of solar power?
only work in sunny countries and in the day, generate electricity on a small scale only and can’t increase power output when there is extra demand
what is geothermal power?
energy in underground thermal energy stores
what are the advantages of geothermal power?
free energy thats reliable and does little damage to the environment, used to generate electricity or heat buildings
what are the disadvantages of geothermal power?
aren’t many suitable locations and the cost of building a power plant is high compared to the amount of energy produced
what is hydro-electric power?
flooding of a valley by building a big da, water is allowed out through turbines
what are the advantages of hydro-electric power?
no pollution, can provide an immediate response to an increased demand for electricity
what are the disadvantages of hydro-electric power?
flooding destroys habitats, if there’s drought, initial costs are high and can generate only on a small scale
what is wave power?
lots of little wave-powered turbines
