Generting Electricity Flashcards
What are the fossil fuels?
Fuels obtained from long dead biological material such as natural gas, coal, oil
What fuel is used in nuclear power stations?
Uranium or plutonium
What is a biofuel ?
A fuel obtained from living or recently living organisms, they are renewable
In a power station how is the energy produced used?
It heats water
What process occurs in a nuclear power plant?
Nuclear fission
What is an advantage but also a disadvantage about nuclear power stations?
They do not release greenhouse gases but produce radioactive waste
Does nuclear fission release more or less energy per kg of uranium than per kg of fossil fuel?
More
What happens in most power stations to produce energy?
Water is heated to produce steam, the steam drives a turbine which is coupled to an electrical generator that produces electricity
How is wing used to generate electricity?
It drives turbines directly, the wind passing over the blades makes them rotate and drive a generator at the top of a narrow tower
How can electricity be produced from water?
Falling water
Waves
Tides
How is electricity generated from hydroelectric power?
Water is collected in a reservoir, this water is allowed to flow downhill and turn turbines at the bottom
How do pumped storage systems work?
Surplus energy is used, at times of low demand to pump the water back up the hill to the top of the reservoir. This means the energy is stored. ThenAt times of high demand the water can be released to fall through the turbines and transfer the stored energy to electrical energy
What are electricity generators driven by in power stations?
Turbines
Explain wave power?
We use the movement of the waves on the sea to generate electricity. The movement drives a floating turbine that turns a generator. Then the electricity is delivered to the grid system on shore by cable
Explain tidal power
The level of sea around the coastline rises and falls twice each day theses changes in sea level are called tides. If a barrage is built across a river estuary the water at each high tide can be trapped behind it when the water is released to fall down to the lower sea level it drives turbines.
What can solar cells do?
Transfer solar energy directly into electricity
Why are large numbers of solar cells often joined to make a solar panel?
Each solar cell only produces a small amount of energy
Why is wave power likely to be less reliable than tidal power?
There is always 2 tides a day but on a calm day won’t be many waves
Explain geothermal energy
Is produced inside the earth by radioactive processes and heats the surrounding rock. In volcanic and other suitable areas holes are drilled deep in the ground and water is pumped down where it is heated and then returns to the surface as steam which drives a turbine >generator
Why are fossil fuels non renewable?
The rate at which they are being used up is much faster that the rate they are produced
