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Sustainable Energy > Final Exam (Sustainability) > Flashcards

Final Exam (Sustainability) Flashcards

1
Q

What is Albedo

A

The amount of energy that is reflected divided by the amount absorbed

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2
Q

What is the Pre-Industrial CO2 level

A

around 280 ppm

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3
Q

What is burning coal and other fossil fuels considered

A

Not sustainable

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4
Q

What does G.I.S stand for

A

Greenland ice sheet

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5
Q

What is a kWh and what does it measure

A

It is a measure of energy and represents kilowatts per hour

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6
Q

What is the critical CO2 value

A

560 ppm

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7
Q

I=P x A x T

A

P- Population, A- Affluence , T- Technology

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8
Q

Convert 1 GW to MW

A

1 GW= 1000 MW

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9
Q

What happens if a glacier melts

A

The sea level rises

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10
Q

What are important greenhouse gasses

A

Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide

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11
Q

How many BP oil spills would it take to equal one day of U.S. oil consumption?

A

4 BP oil spills

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12
Q

All fossil fuels, when burned, follow this equation: C + O2= CO2 + _____

A

H20

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13
Q

Why is the Ogallala Aquifer not sustainable?

A

Farmers are pumping more water into the aquifer than they are getting out of it

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14
Q

What does IPCC stand for?

A

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

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15
Q

How much of sunlight is reflected off of Earth back into the atmosphere?

A

Around 1/4th

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16
Q

What has been the main cause of increasing global temperatures since the 1800s?

A

Increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

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17
Q

The United States consumes roughly what fraction of the world’s primary energy?

A

1/6th

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18
Q

Where will the greatest temperature increases occur due to global climate change?

A

Near the poles

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19
Q

What is most troublesome about the Keeling curve?

A

The slope is increasing over time

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20
Q

What percentage of primary energy consumed globally is derived from fossil fuels?

A

80%

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21
Q

What are the CO2 levels from the last great ice age, preindustrial time, and what are the critical levels of CO2?

A

190, 280, 560

22
Q

Why doesn’t the melting of icebergs contribute to sea level rise?

A

icebergs already displace their volume of seawater

23
Q

What does an inverter do?

A

Turns direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC)

24
Q

What does a generator do?

A

It is driven by a turbine and it stores energy

25
Q

What is efficiency?

A

Power out divided by power in

26
Q

What does a kilowatt measure?

A

Power

27
Q

What is on-grid PV?

A

it is energy sold back to the energy making companies

28
Q

What is an isotope?

A

An element that has the same amount of protons and electrons (same atomic number) but a different amount of neutrons

29
Q

How much sunlight is absorbed by land and the sea?

A

1/2 of sunlight

30
Q

How do you calculate power for a turbine?

A

kW= Area (m2) x Speed (W/m2) x Efficiency (%)

31
Q

What is the best region for generating solar power (in the US)?

A

The Southwest because it has more direct sunlight than anywhere else in the country

32
Q

What are the three most important factors for determining the power output of a PV system?

A

Insolation, System Efficiency, and Array Area

33
Q

In PV power systems, the inverters converts:

A

Direct current into alternating current

34
Q

What is the component that converts sunlight into electricity?

A

Solar cell

35
Q

What are the most important factors for determining the power output of a wind turbine?

A

Turbine efficiency, wind speed, and blade length

36
Q

What does the power generated by a dam depend on?

A

The rate of water flow and the height of the dam

37
Q

How much oil does the US consume each day?

A

8 million barrels

38
Q

Which country does the US import the most oil from?

A

Canada

39
Q

What is a proven reserve?

A

An oil reserve that can be economically extracted by using existing technology

40
Q

What percent of a barrel of oil is refined into gas?

A

1/2

41
Q

What year did the US first reach ‘Peak Oil’?

A

1970

42
Q

What greenhouse gas blocks ultraviolet light but is also a component of smog in the troposphere?

A

Ozone

43
Q

What is the purpose of a catalytic converter?

A

To convert harmful gasses from the engine to cleaner gasses

44
Q

VOC is an abbreviation for..?

A

Volatile Organic Compounds

45
Q

Smokestackes and tailpipes are examples of ____ pollution.

A

Point

46
Q

Runoff from a dairy farm or a parking lot that pollutes a stream is an example of _____.

A

Nonpoint

47
Q

Burning 1 gallon of gasoline produces how many pounds of CO2?

A

20 lbs

48
Q

Which crop does the United States make nearly all the ethanol used in its gas from?

A

Corn

49
Q

“E15” contains which percentage of traditional gasoline?

A

85%

50
Q

What is the energy balance for ethanol made from corn?

A

1

51
Q

What is a “drop-in fuel”? Such as Butanol

A

A fuel in which you don’t need to modify your engine to run on it

52
Q

Which crop does Brazil use to make nearly all of its ethanol used in gasoline?

A

Sugar Cane

Sustainable Energy (1 decks)

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