energy resources Flashcards
Natural Resource
materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.
Renewable Resource
a substance of economic value that can be replaced or replenished in the same or less amount of time as it takes to draw the supply down.
Nonrenewable Resource
a resource that does not renew itself at a sufficient rate for sustainable economic extraction in meaningful human time-frames.
Fossil Fuel
a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.
Nuclear Fission
a nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy.
Nuclear Fusion
a nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.
Hydroelectric Energy
energy derived from the movement of water.
Biomass
organic matter used as a fuel, especially in a power station for the generation of electricity.
Gasohol
a mixture of gasoline and ethyl alcohol used as fuel in internal combustion engines.
Geothermal Energy
energy obtained by tapping underground reservoirs of heat, usually near volcanoes or other hot spots on the surface of the Earth
Petroleum
a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons that is present in certain rock strata and can be extracted and refined to produce fuels including gasoline, kerosene, and diesel oil; oil.
Natural Gas
flammable gas, consisting largely of methane and other hydrocarbons, occurring naturally underground (often in association with petroleum) and used as fuel.
Coal
a combustible black or dark brown rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground deposits and widely used as fuel.
Propane
a flammable hydrocarbon gas of the alkane series, present in natural gas and used as bottled fuel.
Tidal Energy
a form of hydropower that converts the energy obtained from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity.
