Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Climate Change > Lesson 3 Electricity > Flashcards

Lesson 3 Electricity Flashcards

1
Q

What will de-carbonizing in the electricity sector allow us to do?

A

De-carbonize in other sectors like manufacturing and transportation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why is electricity cheap?

A

It’s generated by burning low-cost fossil fuels.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Which fossil fuels are used to generate electricity?

A

Oil, coal and natural gas generate about 2/3 of electricity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Why are fossil fuels cheap?

A

1. We are better at extracting them.
2. Governments subsidize them.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What percentage of annual greenhouse gases come
from generating electricity?

A

27%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How are wind and solar power costs trending?

A

They are getting lower.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How is wind energy growing since 2010?

A

It has quadrupled and its cost is decreasing.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How has solar increased since 2010?

A

Increased 17 times

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the biggest challenge with solar and wind power?

A

Reliability →
The Intermittency Problem.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How can we fix this?

A

Either
1. Develop storage or
2. Develop other clean technologies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is the current storage medium of choice?

A

Lithium-ion batteries.
This does not have the capacity for long-duration storage.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What does Malta Inc do?

A

They have developed a way to convert it to thermal energy for storage for 10-12 hours.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the longest Malta can store energy now?

A

About 1 week.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What technology are they working on?

A

How long can a system stay in a state of charge? - just like your phone

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is Malta’s “hot store”?
How much heat does Malta storage currently lose?

A

565°
About 1°/day

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

When does Malta expect the Green Premium compared to natural gas to be 0?

A

Around 2030

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

With population growth and rising living standards how much more electricity will we need in just a few decades?

A

3 times as much

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the only carbon-free energy source that can reliably deliver electricity 24-hours/day?

A

nuclear energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What percentage of its electricity does the US get from nuclear plants?

A

around 20%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How much of France’s electricity is provided by nuclear plants?

A

> 70%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are the 2 types of nuclear reaction that can used to generate electricity?

A

Nuclear fission and Nuclear fusion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How does nuclear fission work?

A

Atomic particles are split apart.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How does nuclear fusion work?

A

Combines atomic nuclei.

24
Q

How do all current nuclear plants work?

A

nuclear fission

25
Q

What is the holy grail of nuclear technology?

A

nuclear fusion

26
Q

What nuclear technology is MIT working on?

A

Portable microreactors

27
Q

How much power will a portable microreactor generate?

A

Enough power for about 10,000 homes.

28
Q

What can it be used for?

A

It can be used for desalinating water for about 150,000 people.

29
Q

How big is a portable microreactor?

A

About the size of a shipping container.

30
Q

How are they flexible?

A

You can stack them up for the amount of power you need?

31
Q

How long can they go withour re-fueling?

A

5-10 years

32
Q

How do you keep from interrupting service when they are re-fueled?

A

They ship you a re-fueled one to replace it.

33
Q

How are nuclear batteries like nuclear power plants?

A

They are dispatchable - power is transmitted on demand.

34
Q

Are solar and wind dispatchable?

A

No
They are intermittent.

35
Q

What is the other advantage of nuclear batteries?

A

They don’t take up a lot of space.
Wind and solar do.

36
Q

How much space does a nuclear battery need?

A

About an acre including the control and security areas.

37
Q

How much land do wind and solar need to give the same amount of electricity?

A

About 1,000 times as much as nuclear batteries.

38
Q

What are the 3 components of Nuclear Safety?

A

1. Shut down reliably
2. Provide cooling to fuel
3. Prevent release of radioactivity.

39
Q

How will the nuclear battery provide safety?

A

The safety function will not require external intervention. They are passively safe.

40
Q

How will you manage the waste?

A

The volume of waste is very small compared to the energy generated.

41
Q

What is better about fusion reactors?

A

1. They are inherently safe.
2. Very little waste by-product.

42
Q

What is MIT doing about fusion?

A

They are working on an ultracompact system.

43
Q

What intermediate technology may be needed to bridge the times before the other technologies can do the job?

A

Carbon recapture.
MIT is also working on this.

44
Q

Why do some worry about carbon recapture?

A

They think it may make the use of fossil fuels more acceptable.

45
Q

Can we eliminate all CO2 emmisions?

A

No.
This is why we need carbon recapture.

46
Q

How does Direct Air Carbon recapture work?

A

It uses filters to extract it from air.

47
Q

What would be easier than Direct Air Capture?

A

Catching it at the source.

48
Q

What is a sorbent?

A

A material used to absorb liquids or gases.

49
Q

How do sorbents help at the source?

A

The gas being emitted is run through the sorbent for carbon capture.

50
Q

What is the Amine Process?

A

They capture the CO2.
It is a gas scrubbing process.

51
Q

What is the problem with this process?

A

It takes a lot of energy.

52
Q

What is MIT working on?

A

Developing a isothermal (constant temperature) process rather than a thermal process.

53
Q

What do they do with it?

A

Bury it in old aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs.

54
Q

What happens to it when buried?

A

It eventually becomes immobilized.

55
Q

What else are they trying?

A

To capture carbon from the ocean.

56
Q

Can we make our 2050 goals without removing carbon from the atmosphere?

A

No.

Climate Change (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions