energy sources

Question 1

difference between non-renewable energy resources and renewable energy resources

Answer 1

non-renewable energy resources:
depleted faster than they can be replenished (coal, oil, natural gas)

renewable energy resources:
replenish themselves or are continuously available in the enviro (solar, geothermal, tidal energy)

Question 2

different type of energy source (%)

Answer 2

petroleum (34.4)
coal (24.4)
natural gas (21.1)
renewable energy (13.5)
nuclear energy (6.5)

Question 3

resources vs reserve

Answer 3

resource:
naturally occurring substance that is potentially usable by humans and can be extracted using current technology

reserve:
known deposit of a resource that can be economically extracted using current technology and specific economic conditions
typically smaller in quantity

In other words:
Resources are the total estimated amount of a substance present in nature.
Reserves are the subset of resources that are technically and economically feasible to extract and utilize with today’s methods and costs.
So reserves are essentially the proven, recoverable portion of the total resources that we can realistically access and use right now, while resources represent the full natural endowment, some of which may not be viable to extract currently.

Question 4

how was coal formed

Answer 4

300 millions ago, plant material began accumulating underwater, starting the process of decay and resulting in the formation of a spongy mass of organic material

these deposits are covered by seas and buried under sediment (dirt) due to geological changes

combi of pressure and heat caused by geological process transformed organic into coal

Question 5

recoverable coal reserves

Answer 5

in 2004

europe and eurasia 31.6%
north america 27.8%
asia 23.6%
australia and pacific islands 9.1%
africa 5.6%
latin america 2.3%
middle east 0.05%

Question 6

where do the oil and natural gas likely originated from

Answer 6

microscopic marine organisms that accumulated on the ocean floor and became buried under the layers of the sediment

Question 7

fossil fuel formation

Answer 7

• Oil and natural gas likely originated from microscopic marine organisms that accumulated on the ocean floor and became buried under layers of sediment.
• Over time, the sediment compressed and transformed into shale, which contains dispersed oil.
• Natural gas commonly forms above oil deposits.

Question 8

how much did fossil fuels supply the world’s commercial energy
- oil:
- coal:
- natural gas:

Answer 8

*Fossil fuels supply 80% of the world’s commercial energy.
*Oil: 35%
*Coal: 24%
*Natural Gas: 21%

Question 9

it is the most abundant fossil fuel

Answer 9

coal

Question 10

what is primarily used for generating electricity

Answer 10

coal

Question 11

briefly explain the 3 categories of coal

Answer 11

lignite:
least desirable cos of high moisture content
bituminous: widely used cos it is the most abundant and easiest to mine
anthracite: has the highest energy content and is the cleanest burning but hard to obtain

Question 12

briefly explain the types of coal extraction

Answer 12

surface mining:
efficient yet destructive as it involves removing material on top of a vein
underground mining:
minimizing surface disturbance is costly and hazardous

Question 13

what disease may be attain due to the coal extraction underground

Answer 13

black lung disease, a respiratory condition caused by the accumulation of fine coal-dust particles in miners’ lungs

Question 14

mining operation generates what type of pollution

Answer 14

air pollution

Question 15

briefly explain the coal drawbacks

Answer 15

Burning coal emits pollutants such as carbon and sulfur
Coal’s bulkiness poses transportation challenges

• Millions of tons of material are annually released into the atmosphere.
• Sulfur contributes to acid mine drainage and acid deposition.
• Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are linked to global warming.

Question 16

it is formed from organic material
mainly deposited as sediments on the seabed and then broken down and transformed over millions
of years.

Answer 16

oil and gas

Question 17

it is more concentrated than coal, burns cleaner and can be easily transported through pipelines

Answer 17

oil

suited for automobile use

Question 18

what are the challenges of oil

Answer 18

challenging to locate and extract BUT it causes the less environmental damage than coal mining

Question 19

how do u extract oil

Answer 19

Offshore drilling:
it is the process of drilling holes in the ocean seabed of the continental shelf and also applies to drilling in lakes and inland seas.

Question 20

briefly explain oil recovery

Answer 20

current tech can only extract abt 1/3 of an oil deposit
secondary recovery methods, injecting water or gas into wells to displace oil are employed to recover more oil
with rising oil prices = costly and aggressive sec recovery techniques may become necessary

Question 21

it is a single barrel of crude oil can yield multiple products through refining.

briefly explain the accidental spills

Answer 21

oil refining
Accidental spills contribute to only about one-third of oil pollution from shipping, with 60% resulting from routine shipping operations.

Question 22

crude oil distillation unit and products

Answer 22

lower than 85 °F = butane and lighter products
85 - 185 °F = gasoline blending components
185 - 350 °F = naptha
350 - 450 °F = kerosene
450 -650 °F =distillate (disel, heating oil)
650 - 1050 °F =heavy gas oil
above 1050 °F = residue fuel oil

Question 23

It is formed when layers of decomposing plants
and animals are subject to intense heat from
the Earth and pressure from rocks.

Answer 23

natural gas
created naturally over the course of hundreds of millions of years

Question 24

natural gas is also called as
it is the mixture of?

Answer 24

fossil gas
methane gas
or simply gas
mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane (97%) in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes.

Question 25

true or false:
drilling for natural gas involves similar operations as drilling for oil. The processes and equipment used are quite alike.

Answer 25

true

Question 26

natural gas can be liquefied at ___°F, reducing its volume significantly

Answer 26

-126°F

Question 27

it is the least environmentally damaging, causing minimal air
pollution.

Answer 27

among fossil fuels, natural gas

Question 28

how much did the alternative energy sources contribute to the world’s total energy supply.

Answer 28

nearly 13.5%
- these sources could potentially fulfill half of the world’s energy requirements by 2050.

Question 29

examples of renewable energy sources

Answer 29

hydroelectric power
tidal power
geothermal power
wind power
solar energy
biomass conversion

Question 30

how much did the renewable power increase in the past decade

Answer 30

8 percentage points
2011 (20.4%) to 2021 (28.3%)

Question 31

it is generated by capturing the energy of flowing water and converting it into electricity.

Answer 31

hydroelectric power

Question 32

most common method of hydroelectric power

Answer 32

damming a river and creating a reservoir to store water
* Pumped storage plants utilize two reservoirs positioned at different elevations to store and release water as needed.
* Regions with mountainous terrain and large river valleys offer the greatest potential for developing hydroelectric power.
* According to the World Energy Council, current technology could potentially triple the electricity generated by hydropower.

Question 33

Hydroelectric power currently accounts for how much of the world’s electricity supply.

___ - electricity sourced from hydroelectric power in south and central America

norway relies on hydroelectric power for ___ of its electricity and ___ of its total energy needs.

Answer 33

16%
65%
99%
60%

Question 34

less than 10 megawatts -
less than 1 megawatts -

Answer 34

less than 10 megawatts - minihydro
less than 1 megawatts - microhydro

Question 35

how does reservoir construction results in significant environmental and social damage in hydroelectric power

Answer 35

• It leads to the loss of farmland or forest land due to flooding.
• Communities often need to be relocated.
• The construction of dams prevents fish migrations.
• Silt fills in the reservoir, halting the flow of nutrients downstream.
• There’s a risk of mercury accumulation in the reservoir ecosystem.

Question 36

the daily rise and fall of ocean levels relative to coastlines, are caused by gravitational forces and the Earth’s revolution.

Answer 36

tidal

Question 37

what happens when water flowing from a higher to a lower level

Answer 37

it can spin an electricity-generating turbine

Question 38

why is suitable sites for tidal power are limited

Answer 38

as practical power generation requires tidal changes of roughly 16 feet

Question 39

what causes the ocean water to bulge out, forming tides as the Earth rotates through this bulge.

Answer 39

the gravitational forces of the moon and the sun

Question 40

it is associated with geologically active areas where heat from the
Earth reaches the surface through thinner crust.

Answer 40

geothermal energy

Question 41

true or false:
The U.S. possesses roughly half of the world’s geothermal electrical generating capacity, with California contributing 30% of the world’s geothermal electricity.

Answer 41

false - 40%

Question 42

what happens if there is a high mineral content of geothermal energy and it can result in what odors

Answer 42

unpleasant odors
its high mineral content can lead to high maintenance requirements such as corroded pipes and equipment.

Question 43

how much can the U.S. Department of Energy provide the electricity that has indicated that the Great Plains to ___ contiguous states

Answer 43

75%
48 contiguous states

Question 44

it is considered competitive with new coal and natural gas plants, and it is cheaper than nuclear plants.

Answer 44

wind power

Question 45

disadvantages of wind power

Answer 45

moving blades generates noise and some perceive windmills as visual pollution
moving blades pose hazards to birds
vibration from generators can lead to structural damage

Question 46

the daily energy from the sun is 600 times greater than energy produced each day by all other energy sources combined

Answer 46

solar energy

Question 47

how is the solar energy utilized in 3 main ways

Answer 47

passive heating:
directly converts sun’s energy into heat and uses it at the collection site
floors and walls made of materials that absorb and store the sun’s heat during the day gradually release the het at night when it is needed most (aka direct gain)
allow sunlight to enter to warm the interior of the building

active heating systems:
it is converted into heat and then transported into electrical energy
-ve: initial high installation cost

Question 48

solar energy can be transformed into

Answer 48

electrical energy

Question 49

it requires a solar collector, a pump and a network of pipes to transfer heat from where its generated to the intended heating area

Answer 49

active solar heating

Question 50

how does solar energy generate electricity in 2 methods

Answer 50

steam generation:
involves creating stem to drive a turbine which then generates electricity
photovoltaic cells:
these cells directly convert sunlight into electricity

Question 51

where is the largest solar plant facility located and what is the installed capacity

Answer 51

Bhadla Solar Park (Location: Rajasthan, India)
Capacity: 2245 MW