Generating Electricity Flashcards
How is electricity generated? ( 6 marks )
Coal is heated Energy is transferred as heat This gets water and steam Energy is transferred as movement This turns the turbine The movement of this drives the generator Generator produces electricity
What are the disadvantages of power stations?
Non renuable
Sulfur dioxide - acid rain
C02 - global warming
What is carbon capture?
Separates carbon from waste gases and stores it underground
What is nuclear energy?
Radioactive
Fission release energy
Kinetic energy turns turbine which drives the generator to produce electricity
What are the advantages of nuclear energy?
No sulfur of c02 produced
What are the disadvantages of nuclear energy
Non renuable
Nuclear waste is radioactive so must be stored safely
What is wind energy?
Wind drives a turbine to produce electricity
Advantages of wind energy?
Renewable
No fuel costs
No harmful gases produced
Disadvantages of wind energy?
Noisy
Only works if there is wind so isn’t constant
What are the three types of water energy?
Wave
Tidal
Hydroelectric
What is wave energy?
Water rises and falls and the energy is used to drive generators
What is tidal energy ?
Barrage is built to use kinetic energy in running water
What is hydroelectric energy?
Dams contain gravitational potential energy
This is transferred to kinetic
Which is transferred to electrical
This turns the turbine
What are the advantages of water energy?
Renewable
No fuel costs
No harmful gases
Disadvantages of water energy!
Destroys habitats
Floods farmland
What is geothermal energy?
Radioactive decay warms rocks Rocks heat water Water turns to steam Turns turbine Generates electricity
Advantage of geothermal
Renuable
Disadvantage of geothermal energy
Limited suitable areas
What is solar energy?
Light to electrical energy
What are solar panels?
Heat energy heats water
What are the advantages of solar energy
Renewable
No toxic gases
No fuel costs
What are the disadvantages of solar energy?
Expensive
Inefficient
Don’t work at night
Advantage of power stations?
Reliable energy source
What is the national grid
System of cables and transformers
How is energy lost in the national grid ?
Lost as heat
What does higher current mean?
More heat is lost
Why is the current lowered ?
To prevent heat lost. Higher current = more heat lost
How does the current get lowered?
Voltage is increased
How many volts in a power station ?
25,000 v
What does the step up transformer do ?
Increases voltage to 275,000 v
Decreases current
So less heat loss
What does a step down transformer do?
Decreases voltage to 230 v
Makes it suitable for homes
