Man and his energy resources

Question 1

What is energy?

Answer 1

Energy is the capacity to do work and is required for life processes

Question 2

What is an energy resource

Answer 2

This is something that can produce heat, power, electricity or move objects

Question 3

Matter that stores energy is called a?

Answer 3

Fuel

Question 4

Categories of energy resources

Answer 4

Non-renewable energy resources
Renewable energy resources

Question 5

What is non-renewable resources

Answer 5

These are resources that can not be easily replenished. They are reserve based.

Question 6

What are three dominant non-renewable resources

Answer 6

Oil, natural gas and coal also known as fossil fuels

Question 7

Fossils are also known as?

Answer 7

Oraganic sediments

Question 8

What is fractional distillation

Answer 8

This is a method adopted to seperate a mixture of liquids into its components parts based on their boiling points.

Question 9

Expain the fraction distillation of oil. Give the steps

Answer 9

GGKDF(Gas Goes first, Kerosene Does Fine Later)
Gas - 20C
Gasoline(Petrol) - 150C
Kerosone - 200C
Diesel Oil - 300C
Fuel oil - 370C
Lubricating oil, parfin wax, asphalt - 400C

Question 10

What are renewable energy resources

Answer 10

These are sources of energy that are continaully replenished through natural processes.

Question 11

Common sources of renewables

Answer 11

Biomass
Hydropower
Wind
Direct solar energy
Geothermal energy
Nuuclear eneryg

Question 12

What is biomass?

Answer 12

This is the term used to describe any fuel derived from plants

Question 13

Applications of biomass energy

Answer 13

Used for heating applications
Electricity generation in a power plant
Used to generate other fuels: ethanol, methanol and vegetable oils
Anaerobic decomposition of biomasss leads to the production of methane gas.

Question 14

What is hydropower

Answer 14

This is a source of energy that comes from falling water.

Question 15

Best prospect for hydropower are?

Answer 15

Mountainous regions

Question 16

Factors determining the total power from a hydropower source

Answer 16

The volume of water available - flow
The vertical drop - head

Question 17

Main types of hydropower plants

Answer 17

Run-of-river hydro plants- eletricity is produced from the available flow of the river. Usually subject to seasonal variations.

Resorvoir hydro plants - water is stored in a reservoir
Pumped Storage plants - water is pumped from low reservoirs to high reservoirs when demand for eletricity is low and vice versa

Question 18

Major types of wind turbines

Answer 18

Utility-scale wind with > 100MW
Distrubuted wind with <100MW
Offshore wind - wind turbines installed in large bodies of water, mostly on the continental shelf.

Question 19

Types of direct solar energy

Answer 19

Low temp solar power energy
Photovoltaic energy
High tem solar thermal energy

Question 20

explain low temp solar power energy

Answer 20

Direct sunlight strikes surface of dark opaque material which captures energy that is absorbed.

Question 21

Explain photovoltaic solar electric energy

Answer 21

Employs the use of semiconductor material technology for electricity generation when struck by direct sunlight

Question 22

Explain high temp solar energy

Answer 22

Concentrated solar plants. This is usually used for electricity and heating applications at industrial scale.

Question 23

What is nuclear energy

Answer 23

Nuclear energy is the energy available at the nucleus

Question 24

Explain nuclear fission and fusion

Answer 24

Nuclear fission, which entails splitting the atoms apart.
Nuclear fusion, which entails the joining of atoms together

Question 25

What is geothermal energy

Answer 25

Geothermal energy is heat energy from within the earth’s crust.