Energy Test Flashcards
What are the two types of energy
Conventional and alternative
Conventional energy
- Is mostly non-renewable
- Can be ecologically hazardous
5 main types of conventional energy
- Coal
- Oil
- Natural Gas
- Hydroelectricity (only one considered renewable)
- Nuclear
Renewable resources
- generally living resources (EX. fish, forests, etc.)
- non-living renewable natural resources include: wind, solar, water, soil, etc.
- can restock, or renew themselves if they are not over-harvested
Non-renewable resources
- exist in a fixed amount
- cannot be re-made, re-grown, or regenerated
- examples include: coal, oil, natural gas, minerals, etc.
- some non-renewable resources can be renewable, but take an extremely long time to renew (millions-billions of years)
Natural resources
Naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively natural and unmodified form. They include renewable and non-renewable resources.
Alternative energy
- is renewable
- can be found and is available in nature
Alternative energy types that Canada is now using (7 of them)
- solar power
- wind power
- geothermal power
- biogas power
- ethanol power
- hydrogen fuel cell power
- tidal power
3 reasons why the world is becoming dependant on energy
- An expanding world population means more energy is needed
- Emerging industrial countries, such as China and India, have standards of living that are becoming higher (which increases their need for energy)
- People in industrialized countries, such as Canada and the US, continue to use cheap energy to improve their standard of living
What can Canada do with their energy resources?
We can export much of our oil, natural gas and coal in exchange for money used for imports
What can Canada’s energy resources do?
- sustain the modern lifestyle that we all enjoy
- a valuable resource that can be traded on the international market
- provide other countries with a way of improving their standard of living
Main points on energy resources and the Canadian economy
- Canada is emerging as a major player in the sale of energy resources worldwide
- Canada sells a majority of its energy resources to the US
Problems with Canada’s Energy Market
- Canada is too dependent on just this one market (energy market)
- If the US stops buying our energy, our economy will suffer
- It is possible that the US won’t need our energy resources in the future because of 2 major reasons (found on another slide)
Why is it possible that the US won’t need our energy resources in the future
- the US is developing its own oil and natural gas in Alaska
- oil sands have been discovered in Colorado
Consumption
The using up of a resource
Conservation
The action of conserving something
Kyoto protocol
International treaty that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based in the premise that global warming exists and man-made CO2 emissions have caused it.
Description of coal
- the biggest power plants in Canada are coal-fired
- most of Canada’s coal comes from Alberta
- not used as much as it once was
Pros of coal
- Canadian coal is in demand for export to Asain countries such as Japan and Korea
- helps fuel the automotive industry in Canada
Cons of coal
- dangerous jobs because of poisonous gases, cave-ins, and cold, damp conditions
- releases 29% more carbon than oil and 80% more carbon than natural gas
- affects climate change because it produces more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
- burning coal contributes to smog and acid rain
Description of oil
- Used to make gasoline, cosmetics, tar and plastics
- dispersed throughout the lower layers of the Earth’s crust
- oil is pumped out of the ground and sent to a refinery where gasoline is made
- oil deposits have been found in the arctic, but have not been developed yet
Pros of oil
- Keeps the wheels of modern industry turning
- provides cars with what they need to function
- (more pros for oil sands industry on another slide)
Cons of oil
-difficult to find out where the oil is located
-drilling is expensive and time consuming
-chances of ecological disaster are huge if oil spills into the ocean
(More cons of oil sands on another slide)
Description of Natural Gas
- found under cap rock
- found above oil
- pipelines are used to transport natural gas
- can be converted to liquid before transportation
Pros of natural gas
- fairly inexpensive
- cleaner than oil or coal
- produces less carbon dioxide than oil or coal
- used for home-heating, in power plants, to generate electricity and in some cars
Cons of natural gas
-unstable gas that can explode or evaporate easily
Description of hydroelectricity
- as water runs downhill it provides power to turn a turbine
- Canada has more hydroelectric power than any country in the world
What is energy?
- Usable power (such as heat or electricity)
- Energy is also the resources for producing power
Pros of hydroelectricity
-Used to power many of our modern conveniences
and to keep industries running
-Inexpensive and reliable
-Does not pollute the environment (no greenhouses gases produced)
-Renewable resource
Cons of hydroelectricity
- dams that need to built in order to produce hydroelectricity flood vast amounts of land and prevent salmon from reaching their spawning grounds
- Animals are confused by artificial lakes
- Overnight reservoirs appear where forests and tundra used to exist
- Prevents aboriginal people from fishing the land
- Start up costs are huge
Description of nuclear power
- Uranium is the fuel used for nuclear power
- Ontario is the largest user of nuclear power in Canada
- Fuel rods used contain radioactive radium
- Not needed in massive amounts, so we will likely never run out of it
Pros of nuclear power
- produces no smog, greenhouses gases or any other air pollution
- uranium is abundant and cheap
- will likely never run out of uranium
Cons of nuclear power
- construction of nuclear power costs much more than other power plants
- tearing down old plants and their removal in order to update is very costly
- fuel rods need to be replaced but are still very radioactive
- can cause health and environmental risks
What are people doing in order to slow down global warming and sustain our quality of life?
Many people are looking for new alternative energy sources
Solar power description
- uses energy directly from the sun to generate power
- two types of solar power include passive solar power and active solar power
Pros of solar energy
- is a reliable consistent supply
- photovoltaic panels are becoming more efficient and less expensive
- can be incorporated into the existing electrical grid
- can be used on a very local scale
Cons of solar energy
- the sun does not shine all the time
- solar energy is not uniformly delivered across Canada
- it is a diffuse source that needs many collectors to generate enough power
Passive solar power
Is the heat that is radiated back into a room when sunlight entering through a window is absorbed into the walls, the floor, the furniture
Active solar power
Is the use of solar panels to heat water that runs through tubes on the roof of a building. This type of solar power is not widely used because it is expensive.
Wind power description
Uses wind to generate energy
Pros of wind energy
- the price of wind generators is coming down
- can be incorporated into the existing electrical grid
- can be used on a very local scale
- wind energy is fairly inexpensive
- modern wind turbines are much more powerful and do not need fuel
Cons of wind energy
- the wind does not blow all the time
- the wind is uniformly delivered across Canada
- it is a diffuse source that needs many turbines to generate enough power
- problem is finding sites where the winds are strong enough to power the turbines but not too strong that they will damange the turbines
Description of geothermal power
- uses heat from underground to generate electricity
- the geothermal site in Vancouver could be capable of providing power for 350,000 people
Pros of geothermal power
- almost entirely emission free and produces zero carbon
- no fuel is required and no mining or transportation
- not subject to the same fluctuations as solar and wind
- virtually limitless supply
- already cost competitive in some areas
Cons of geothermal power
- prime sites are very location specific and are often far from population centres
- high construction costs
- drill into heated rock is very difficult
- care must be taken to manage heat and not overuse it
Description of biogas power
- biogas is made from garbage
- methane or natural gas can be produced naturally from garbage to make energy
- Biogas is the mixture of methane, carbon dioxide, produced from the decay of plant matter that is used as fuel
Pros of biogas
- Technologies are developing where garbage is put into digesters that speed up the rotating process to produce biogas
- widely available and naturally distributed
- generally low cost inputs, low carbon therefore cleaner than fossil fuels
- Can convert waste into energy, helping to deal with waste
Cons of biogas
- Using garbage to make biogas results in toxic fumes when people throw hazardous waste into the trash
- requires water to grow
- overall process can be expensive
- energy intensive to produce. In some cases, with little or no net gain
Description of ethanol power
- ethanol is a form of alcohol made from different kinds of plant matter
- Ontario government announced that all gasoline must contain 10 % ethanol
Pros of ethanol power
- reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by cars (helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions )
- biodegradable
- positive net energy balance
Cons of ethanol power
- difficult to ship because it is corrosive and will damage existing pipelines
- worse gas mileage than regular gasoline
Description of tidal power
- uses strong tides to generate power
- power plant is located on a dam that is used for tidal power
- when a tide moves up the river, water gates open allowing water to enter a lagoon
- at low tide, water flows back through the gates into the ocean
- as water moves in and out of these gates, the water turns the turbine that generates hydroelectricity
Pros of tidal power
- it is a reliable consistent supply
- improved designs of generators are making more sites possible
Cons of tidal power
- There are few suitable sites
- Generator stations are expensive to build
- Building generating stations has environment impacts
What are some obstacles to developing sustainable renewal and alternative energy sources across Canada?
- Protests from conventional energy industry workers
- Having to find a way to uniformly deliver the energy across Canada
- Having to a minimum amount of money to invest in the turbines, collectors, and generators that are needed to generate power
- Enviornmental impacts from building tidal power generating stations
What can the government do to conserve energy?
- put a limit on the amount of energy that is distributed to households in Canada
- release PSA to the pubic about energy and its conservation
- Make a law towards the building of fossil fuels ( this will ensure not renewable resources will to be wasted when there are other alternative energy sources.
What can I do to conserve energy?
- Invest in using alternative energy such as solar panels
- conserve energy within my home by using less heat, taking short showers, buying only products we need, etc
- Conserve energy within my community by car pooling, informing others about energy conservation, investing in electric car, etc
What can industry do to conserve energy?
- raise the prices of for energy coming from non-renewable resources and lower prices for an alternative energy
- reduce the burning of fossil fuels within the factories
- eliminate the non renewable energy sources that are not necessary from industries
How long does it take to convert sunlight into electricity?
-1 second
Number one use of natural gas and electricity for home owners
-providing hot water
What are the most valuable uses of photovoltaics today?
-providing clean drinking water for the developing world
Where are some of the biggest wind turbines located?
-in the ocean
Location of crude oil
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Manitoba, British Columbia
How is crude oil transported?
pipelines and shipments by sea
Location of natural gas
Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia
How is natural gas transported?
Pipelines
Location of electricity
Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Newfoundland, Manitoba, Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan
How is electricity transported?
Transmission lines
What is primary energy production?
Refers to the production of energy that is found in nature before conversion or transformation.
-Encompasses all forms of energy, including electricity and heat
Pros of Alberta oil sands industry
- great economic contributor; for all of Canada
- creates steady, well paying jobs
- provides gasoline to Canadians (self sufficient)
- significant source of energy
- creates/promotes trade (with USA)
Cons of Alberta oil sands industry
- fish down stream - deformities
- transportation safety and difficulty
- 3.5 barrels of water need to extract 1 barrel of oil (water is contaminated)
- tailing ponds produced - toxic
- clear cutting boreal forest
- PAH levels and mercury levels detected in Athabasca River
- open pit mining
- natural gas needed to extract oil (large amounts of carbon emissions)
- downstream - first nations - cancer rates 30 % higher
Method used to mine the oil sands
surface mining
Type of oil found in the oil sands
bitumen
Many wind turbines in one place
wind farm
Returning the land to its original state after mining is called what?
land reclaimation
Conservation method where we take care not to use up resources so that nothing is left for future generations
Sustainability
Our responsibility to work together to manage natural resources for the benefit of everyone
Stewardships
Factories were oil is processed
refineries
A swamp or bog in northern Canada
muskeg
The top layer of the earth and debris that covers most of the oilsands
overburden
The type of energy found in the Bay of Fundy
Tidal energy
What does surface mining result in?
The loss of animal habitat
Mega project off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador
Hibernia
What energy source can heat water
Solar power
What emits the most greenhouse gases in Canada?
Cars and trucks
Which type of Energy is produced the most in Canada
Oil
Facts about energy from energy.iq
- Canadian’s use energy in the majority of their daily activities
- New technology is helping us produce more energy
Which type of energy can be produced in almost every province/territory?
Wind
What percentage of Canada’s electricity is generated by renewable resources?
60%
Which provinces use imported crude oil?
Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Provinces
How are energy resources transported to Canada’s far North?
Ship
What percentage of Canadian oil and natural gas are transported by pipelines?
97%
What are oil sands made up of?
- A mixture of sand, water, clay, and bitumen
- naturally occurring mixture of thick, heavy oil, water and sand
- heavy oil is classified as bitumen
- bitumen will not flow in natural conditions
Where are oil sands located?
-Venezuela, Russia, USA and Canada
How can bitumen be extracted from the oil sands?
- surface mining: used to recover bitumen that is closer to the surface
- drilling: a process that involves drilling into underground deposits and bringing bitumen to the surface through pipes. Used to recover deposits of bitumen deep underground
