energy resources-p3 Flashcards
What is non renewable energy?
Non renewable energy sources are fossil fuels and nuclear fuel(e.g uranium and plutonium). Fossil fuels are natural resources that form underground over millions of years. These are typically burnt to provide energy. Non renewable energy resources will run out one day.
What are example of fossil fuels?
Coal, oil and natural gas
What are some facts about non renewable energy resources?
- They will all run out one day
- They all do damage to the environment
- But they provide most of our energy
What are examples of renewable energy sources?
- The sun(solar)
- Wind
- Water waves
- Hydro-electricity
- Bio-fuel
- Tides
- Geothermal
What are some facts about renewable energy resources?
- These will never run out- the energy can be renewed as it is used
- Most of them do damage the environment but in less nasty ways than non renewables.
- The trouble is they don’t provide much energy and some of them are unreliable because they depend on weather.
How are non renewable energy sources used in transport?
- Petrol and diesel powered vehicles(including most cars) use fuel created from oil
- Coal is used is some old fashioned steam trains to boil water to produce steam
How are renewable energy resources used in transport?
Vehicles that run on pure bio fuels or a mix of a bio fuel and petrol.
How are non renewable energy resources used in heating?
- Natural gas in the most widely used fuel for heating homes in the UK. The gas is used to heat water, which is then pumped into radiators throughout the home.
- Coal is commonly burnt in fireplaces
- Electric heaters which use electricity generated from non renewable energy resources.
How are renewable energy resources used in heating?
- A geothermal heat pump uses geothermal energy resources to heat buildings.
- Solar water heaters work by using the sun to heat water which is then pumped into radiators in the building.
- Burning bio fuel or using electricity generated from renewable resources can also be used for heating.
info about wind power
Each turbine has a generator inside it- the rotating blades turn the generator and produce electricity.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of wind power?
- They spoil the view.
- Very noisy, which can be annoying for people living nearby
- turbines stop if there is no wind, and its impossible to increase supply when there is extra demand
- initial costs are quite high but there are no fuel costs and minimal costs
- there is no pollution
- there is no permanent damage to the landscape- if you remove the turbines, you remove the noise and the views returns to normal.
info about solar power?
- Solar cells re often the best source of energy to charge batteries in calculators and watches which don’t use much electricity
- Solar power is often used in remote places where there is not much choice and to power electric road signs and satellites.
- There is no pollution
- In sunny countries solar power is a very reliable source of energy- but only in daytime. Solar powers can be cost effective in cloudy countries like uk though.
- Like wind, you can’t increase the power output when there is extra demand.
- Initial costs are high but after that the energy is free and running costs almost nil
- Solar cells are usually used to generate electricity on a relatively small scale.
info about geothermal power?
- Geothermal power uses energy from underground thermal energy stores
- This is only possible in volcanic areas where hot rock lie quite near to the surface. The source of much of the energy is slow decay of various radioactive elements including uranium, deep inside the earth.
- This is actually brilliant free energy that’s reliable with very few environmental problems
- Geothermal energy can be used to generate electricity, or to heat buildings directly.
- The main drawbacks with geothermal energy are that there aren’t very many suitable locations for power plants and that the cost of building a power plant is often high compared to the amount of energy it produces.
info about hydroelectric power?
Hydroelectric power transfers energy from the kinetic store of falling water.
- Hydroelectric power usually requires the flooding of a valley by building a big dam. Rainwater is caught and allowed through turbines. There is no pollution.
- But there is a big impact on the environment due to the flooding of the valley and possible loss of habitat for some species. The reservoirs can also look very unsightly when they dry up. Putting hydroelectric power stations in remote valleys tends to reduce their impact on humans
- A big advantage is it can provide an immediate response to an increased demand for electricity
- There is no problem with reliability- except in times of drought.
- Initial costs are high, but there are no fuel costs and minimal running costs
- It can be a useful way to generate electricity on a small scale in remote areas.
info about wave power?
- You need lots of small wave powered turbines located around the coast. Like with wind power the moving turbines are connected to a generator.
- There is no pollution. The main problems are disturbing the seabed and the habitats of marine animals, spoiling the view and being a hazard to boats.
- They are fairly unreliable, since waves tend to die out when the wind drops
- Initial costs are high but there are no fuel costs and minimal running costs. Wave power is never likely to provide energy on a large scale, but it can be very useful on small islands.
