Meeting the country's energy needs + National grid Flashcards
Draw a graph showing the demand for electricity over the course of the day
file:///C:/Users/44748/Documents/Meeting%20the%20country’s%20energy%20need%20+%20the%20national%20grid.pdf
What is always on to meet the basic need of electricity
Nuclear and some fossil fuel power station are always on to meet the basic need
What is switched on when demand for electricity is high
Other fossil fuel power stations are switched on when demand is high
Approximately what times are peak times
Between 4 and 8pm
When does demand for electricity increase
Demand increases when:
people get up in the morning
people come home from school or work (and starts cooking and watching tv)
when it starts to get dark or cold outside
There are popular events - for example a sporting final being shown on TV could also cause a peak in demand
What is switched on at peak times
At peak times all the power stations including hydroelectric are on.
Peak times (when the demand for electricity is at its highest)
When are renewable resources used
Renewable resources are used when ever possible to reduce the demand for nuclear and fossil fuel power stations.
Why do power stations run at below their maximum power output
To cope with the surges in demand for electricity, power stations need to have enough surplus energy so they often run at well below their maximum power output
What must be done/be in place, if renewables want to be used
Because renewables are not reliable we must always have enough surplus energy to meet the demand using normal power stations
Define national grid
The national grid is the network of cables and transformers used to transfer electricity from power stations to consumers
Draw a diagram showing the national grid
file:///C:/Users/44748/Documents/Meeting%20the%20country’s%20energy%20need%20+%20the%20national%20grid.pdf
Give examples of some consumers (of electricity)
Examples of consumers of electricity are:
Homes, shops, offices, factories
Make an ordered list of the components that help transport electricity around the country
Power station
Step-up transformer
Network of cables and pylons (TRANSMISSION CABLES)
Step-down transformer
(Local sub-station)
Consumer
Out of: power station, step-up transformer, transmission cables, step-down transformer and consumer, which of the parts form the National Grid?
The step-up transformer, the transmission cables and the step-down transformer
Describe how the national grid works
The step-up transformer increases the voltage and decreases the current of the electricity generated in a power station
When this lower current is sent through the transmission cables, less heat is produced therefore less electrical energy will be lost as heat
The step-down transformer reduces the voltage and increases the current before the electricity is sent to our homes via a series of sub-stations
