lesson 16 renewable sources of energy Flashcards
what is a renewable energy source
one that is being replenished as its used
what are all the types of renewable energy resources
wind power
solar power
hydroelectric power
tidal power
bio fuels
geothermal
wave power
advantages of renewable energy resources
they’ll never run out
once in place, they don’t release any CO₂ to the atmosphere (they do not contribute to climate change)
why is wind power and solar power not reliable
as some days it’s simply not windy and solar power doesn’t work well on cloudy days
hydroelectric power is very reliable but…
habitats are destroyed when dams are built and valleys are flooded
(also mainly suited for countries with lots of rivers)
tidal power is extremely reliable at the moment
but the UK doesn’t generate electricity from tidal power as…..
there are proposals to build a tidal barrage across Severn estuary
however people claim it would be harmful to wildlife
wave power is reliable and has huge potential in the UK but…
at this stage wave power is very small scale and experimental
what does geothermal energy do
it uses heat from the earth to generate electricity and heat buildings which is reliable but not really useful in the UK
all of the renewable energy resources use electricity which is a problem because…
a lot of the energy in the UK is for transport, including cars and almost all cars in the UK run on petrol or diesel which are fossil fuels
biofuels are produced from what
plant materials
burning biofuels does not add extra what
CO₂ to the atmosphere
(carbon neutral)
biofuels are potentially very useful as we can use them to what
power vehicles such as cars and buses
if we use land to grow crops for fuel, they could push up the price for what
food
