Lesson 11 Flashcards
Why are renewables becoming more important?
• Stock sources of energy running out
• Danger of climate change
How does biomass produce energy?
• Organic material can be burned for heat or to produce electricity
• Can also be converted to oil such as from oilseed rape and after treatment with chemicals, can be used in diesel engines
• Fuelwood used as important source in LICs
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How does wind produce energy?
• Wind turn turbine to produce electricity
• Built onshore or offshore
• Needs regular strong winds, so near coastline is good
How do solar panels produce energy?
• Energy from sunlight captured in solar panels
• Converted to electricity by photovoltaic cells
How do tides produce energy?
• Tidal barrages built across estuaries
• Water passes through gates in barrage as tide passes in and out
• Turbine turned
How do waves produce energy?
• Movement of waves in and out of cavity compresses trapped air
• Turns turbine
How is geothermal energy used to create electricity?
• Cold water pumped underground
• Natural heat from Earth heats it up, turning it to steam
• Steam turns turbine
Describe process of HEP for energy production
• Dan’s built to trap large volumes of water
• Tunnels with turbines built in dam
• Pressure of water drives moves through tunnels, turning turbines
Explain advantages of biomass
• Cheap and readily available
• Sustainable
• Suitable for wide range of countries
• Can replace a fossil fuel
Explain advantages of solar energy
• Potentially infinite energy
• No fuel needed
• Can be used at both small and large scale
• Good potential for LICs in Africa with large quantities of intense sunlight
Explain advantages of HEP
• Creates water reserves
• Can be used for fishing
• Can provide short burst of energy during peak demand
• Very successful in countries such as Norway (provides 96% of energy)
Explain advantages of tidal energy
• Ideal for islands
• Barrage can be used as bridge and reduce flooding
• More reliable than sources such as wind and solar as 4 tides guaranteed each day
Explain advantages of wind energy
• Potentially infinite
• Usable onshore and offshore
• Can be used at small scale
• Has potential in windy conditions
Explain advantages of geothermal energy
• Potentially infinite
Explain advantages of wave energy
• Ideal for islands
• Small scale (less expensive)
Explain disadvantages of biomass
• Produced GHGs when burned
• Critical renewable resource so has to be carefully maintained
• Large areas of land needed for planting
• Encourages deforestation
• Fossil fuels may be used to transport and process biomass
Explain disadvantages of solar energy
• Intermittent as cloudy days have low solar potential and can’t be used during night
• Manufacturing and implementation of panels is expensive
• Transportation of them uses fossil fuels may be
Explain disadvantages of wind
• Manufacturing and implementation of turbines is expensive
• Unaesthetic to some people
• Impacts wildlife such as birds
• CO2 released during production
Explain disadvantages of HEP
• Costly to build and can cause flooding of surrounding areas
• Disrupts migratory patterns of fish
• CO2 released in concrete used for construciton
Explain disadvantages of tidal energy
• Very expensive
• Intermittent
• Has negative impact on environment
Explain disadvantages of wave energy
• Unreliable as waves aren’t constant
• Environmental concerns
Explain disadvantages of geothermal energy
• Expensive
• Only effective in volcanic areas
• Volcanic activity is not constant
