P1 Wind, Solar and Geothermal (page 174)

Question 1

Name Renewable Energy Resources?

Answer 1

Wind
Solar
Geothermal

(These resourses will NOT run out)

Question 2

Do Renewable energy resourses generate us much electricity as Non-Renewable resourses?

Answer 2

No

Question 3

What is ‘Wind Power’ energy resources?

Answer 3

Lots of little wind turbines.

Question 4

Where are Wind Turbines used?

Answer 4

They involve putting lots of wind turbines up in exposed places like on ‘moors’ or round ‘coasts’.

Question 5

How do wind turbines work? and what do they produce?

Answer 5

Each wind turbine has a generator inside it - The rotating blades turn the generator and produces Electricity.

Question 6

Is there polutionwhen using Wind Turbines?

Answer 6

No, apart from a little bit when they are manufactured.

Question 7

What Negative effects to wind turbines have?

Answer 7

They spoil the view,
you need about 1500 wind turbines to replace one coal-fired powered station
1500 wind turbines cover a lot of ground - (which would have a big effect on the scenary.
They can be very noisy (which can be annoying for people living nearby).

Question 8

What problems can affect wind turbines producing electricity?

Answer 8

The blades can stopturning when the wind stops,
if the wind is too strong - it is impossible to increase supply when there’s extra demand.

Question 9

On average how much electricity is produced using Wind Turbines?

Answer 9

70-85% of the time electricity is produced.

Question 10

Are wind turbines expensive to run?

Answer 10

The initial costa]s are quite high, but there are no fuel costs and minimal running costs.

Question 11

If wind turbines was removed, would this damage the landscapes?

Answer 11

No, permenant damage would not be caused if you remove the turbines, you would remove the noise and the view returns to normal.

Question 12

What are solar cells?

Answer 12

Solar cells generate electric currents directly from sunlight.

Question 13

Solar cells are often the best source of energy to charge what?

Answer 13

Batteries in calculators and watches, which dont use much electricity.

Question 14

Where is solar power often used?

Answer 14

Its often used in remove places where there’s not much choice (e.g. Austrialian outback) and to power electric road signs and satellites.

Question 15

Do solar cells produce pollution?

Answer 15

No, although they do use quite a lot of energy to manufacture in the first place.

Question 16

Where is solar power very useful to use?

Answer 16

In sunny countries - it is a very reliable source of energy but onl in the day time. (they can still be cost effective even in cloudy countries like great britian).

Question 17

Can you increase the power output using solar power?

Answer 17

No, like wind too, you can’t increase the power out put when there is extra demand (see page 189 for more).

Question 18

Is it expensive to use solar power?

Answer 18

The initial costs are high, but after that the energy is free and running costs almost nil.

Question 19

Can you use solar cells to generate electricity on a small or large scale?

Answer 19

small scale.

Question 20

What is Geothermal Power?

Answer 20

Energy in underground Thermal Energy Stores.

Question 21

Where is Geothermal power possible to use?

Answer 21

In volcanic areas, or where hot rocks lie quite near to the surface.

Question 22

What is the source of most of the Geothermal energy from?

Answer 22

Mostly from the energy of the slow decay of various radioactive elements, including Uranium, deep inside the Earth.

Question 23

What is Uranium?

Answer 23

A silvery - white metallic chemical element - atomic number 92. A Uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons. (this is actually brilliant free energy that is reliable and does very little damage to the environment).

Question 24

What can Geothermal power be used for?

Answer 24

It can be used to generate electricity, or to heat building directly.

Question 25

What are the Negative drawbacks with geothermal power?

Answer 25

There aren’t very many suitable locations for powerplants and that the cost of building a power plant is often high compared to the amount of energy it produces.

Question 26

Explain why geothermal power is more reliable than wind power? (2 marks)

Answer 26

Wind power can be unreliable as sometimes there is no wind, or the turbines need to be stopped because the wind is too strong, so they don’t supply a constant supply of energy (1 mark)

Geothermal power plants can run continously as they transfer energy from the thermal energy store of the ground (1 mark)