Generating Electricity

Question 1

What happens at each stage of the Power Station?

Answer 1

1. Fuel produces heat, which is used to boil water to make steam.
2. Steam spins a turbine.
3. Turbine drives a generator and the generator makes electricity.
4. Electricity goes to the transformers to produce the correct voltage.

Question 2

What does a step up transformer do?

Answer 2

A step up transformer increases the voltage and decreases current.

Question 3

what are the four main resources of generating electricity?

Answer 3

Fossil Fuels
Nuclear
Biomass
Geothermal

Question 4

what are the disadvantages of fossil fuels?

Answer 4

it releases carbon dioxide causing green house gases
its running out
prices are getting higher
coal releases sulphur dioxide causing acid rain

Question 5

what are the advantages of fossil fuels?

Answer 5

its reliable
large energy per mass content
easily stored until required
proven technology

Question 6

what are the disadvantages of nuclear?

Answer 6

very expensive to build and decommission
risk of disaster
dangerous radioactive waste is linked to cancer

Question 7

what are the advantages of nuclear?

Answer 7

reliable and cheaper
no green house gases or acid rain emissions
safe under normal conditions
conserves fossil fuels

Question 8

what are the disadvantages of biomass?

Answer 8

large areas of land is needed
deforestation
use of fertilisers to grow fuel crops

Question 9

what are the advantages of biomass?

Answer 9

completely renewable
carbon neutral
less population compared with fossil fuels
its biodegradable

Question 10

what are the disadvantages of geothermal?

Answer 10

few suitable places
expensive to build
cant provide all of our power needs

Question 11

what are the advantages of geothermal?

Answer 11

renewable
reliable
no fuel costs
no green house gases

Question 12

at what time in the morning is demand at its highest?

Answer 12

7am to 11am

Question 13

at what time of the morning is demand at its lowest?

Answer 13

12am to 6am

Question 14

at what time of the night is demand at its highest?

Answer 14

12pm to 5pm and 7/8pm

Question 15

at what time of the night is demand at its lowest?

Answer 15

6pm and 9pm to 11pm

Question 16

how does the national grid cope with changes in the demand?

Answer 16

buys electricity from France

activate hydro electric power stations

Question 17

What are the uses of power lines?

Answer 17

Power lines carry electricity from a step up transformer a step don transformer to factories and houses.

Question 18

What does a step down transformer do?

Answer 18

A step down transformer decreases voltage and increases current.

Question 19

How much voltage is supplied to the national grid?

Answer 19

Energy produced by a power station is transferred from 20,000v to 400,000v and supplied to the national grid.

Question 20

What is distribution?

Answer 20

The way in which something is shared out among a group or spread over an area. For example, electricity is reduced to 230v for distribution to homes.

Question 21

Why do we need to step up the voltage?

Answer 21

To reduce energy loss.

Question 22

What is the difference between Fossil Fuel and Nuclear Power Stations?

Answer 22

Fossil fuel power stations burn a chemical fuel while a nuclear power station uses the fission of uranium nuclei to generate heat.

Question 23

What are the types of fuels used in Power Stations?

Answer 23

Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas)
Nuclear fuels (uranium and, sometimes, plutonium)
Renewable biomass (wood, straw and manure).

Question 24

What happens to the steam in a Power Station?

Answer 24

The high pressured steam goes to the turbines and the low pressured steam goes to the cooling towers.