National and global energy resources Flashcards
What are examples of renewable energy resources?
.solar
.wind
.water waves
.hydro-electricity
.bio-fuel
.tides
.geothermal
Why are renewable energy sources better and worse than non renewable energy sources?
.will never run out
.cause less damage to the environment
.don’t provide as much energy and some are unreliable as they depend on the weather
How are non renewable energy sources used in transport?
petrol and diesel = vehicles
coal = old fashioned steam trains
How are renewable energy sources used in transport?
.vehicles that run on pure bio fuels or a mix of bio fuel and petrol/diesel.
How are non renewable energy sources used for heating?
.Natural gas = most widely used fuel for heating homes in UK, gas used to heat water then pumped into radiators throughout the home
.coal commonly burnt in fireplaces
.Electric heaters (storage heaters) which use electricity generated from non renewable energy sources
How are renewable energy sources used for heating?
.Geothermal (ground source) heat pump uses geothermal energy resources to heat buildings
.Solar water heaters use the sun to heat water which is then pumped into radiators in the building
.burning bio fuel or using electricity generated from renewable sources can also be used for heating
Why are fossil fuels reliable?
.there’s enough to meet CURRENT demand & they’re extracted at a fast enough rate for power plants to always have fuel in stock so they can respond quickly to changes in demand
Why are fossil fuels unreliable?
.slowly running out
.if no new resources are found some fossil fuels may run out within 100 years
Costs of power plants?
.set up costs are quite high compared to other energy resources
.running costs aren’t very expensive
.low fuel extraction costs - cost effective way to produce energy
How does burning coal affect the environment?
releases sulphur dioxide which causes acid rain - harmful to trees and soils and can have far reaching affects in ecosystems
Nuclear power problems
. nuclear waste is dangerous
.nuclear fuel is relatively cheap but high overall cost of nuclear power due to cost of power plant and final decommissioning
.risk of major catastrophe: Fukushima, Chernobyl
oil spill problems
. affect mammals that live in + around the sea
.always happen regardless of attempts to avoid it
Spoilt view
.fossil fuel power plants, coal mining makes a mess of the landscape
Dependence on fossil fuels
.electricity usage in UK greatly increased over 20th century
.made more efficient appliances + more careful about energy usage so electricity usage since 21st century has been decreasing
.also use them for travel, heating, and cooking
Why did govs have to introduce targets for using renewable resources?
Because of pressure from other countries and the public
What do these goals mean for power plants?
pressure on energy providers to build new owner plants that use renewable energy resources to ensure they don’t lose business and money
How do these goals affect cars?
electric and hybrid cars are already on the market and their popularity is increasing.
Political factors limiting change
cost of switching over will have to be paid either by customers & bills or by gov and taxes - some people can’t afford increased prices so is this ethical.
Social factors limiting change
. wind farm noise
.making personal changes can be expensive - hybrid cars and solar panels
Ethical factors limiting change
.cost of switching over will have to be paid either by customers & bills or by gov and taxes - some people can’t afford increased prices so is this ethical.
Need space for new power plants are the effects these will have on people and the environment ethical.
Economic factors limiting change
Building new renewable power plants costs money making energy providers reluctant especially when fossil fuels are so cost effective.
some energy resources aren’t very reliable so a mix of renewable and non renewable would be needed for reliability
the research to improve reliability will take time and money until then we’ll still be reliant on non renewable power
