P3 Flashcards
What are the non-reneewable enrgy resources?
Fossil fuels
Nucleur fuels (uranium and plutonium)
What are fossil fuels?
Natural resources that form underground over millions of years
Non-renewable resources?
Coal
Oil (Natural Gas)
What are three features of nonxrenewable resources?
They will all run out one day.
They all damage the environment.
They are reliable.
Renewable resources?
The sun (solar)
Wind
Water waves
Hydro-electricity
Bio-fuel
Tides
Geothermal
What are three features of renewable resources?
They will never run out.
Most of them do damage the environment but in kess nasty ways than non-renewables.
They don’t provide much energy and some of them are unreliable because they depend on the weather.
What are wind turbines?
Lots of wind turbines in exposed places like on morrs and round coasts.
Each turbine has a generator inside it which is turned by the wind turning the blades.
This produces electricity.
Advantages of wind turbines?
There is no pollution (except for a little bit when they’re manufactured)
There are no fuel costs and minimal running costs (however the initial costs are quite high)
There’s no permanent damage to the landscape if you remove them
Disadvantages of wind turbines?
They ruin the view.
They can be very noisy.
When the wind stops the turbines stop too.
What are solar cells?
They generate electric current directly from the sunlight. They are often the best source of energy to charge batteries in calculators and watches which don’t use much electricity.
Advantages of solar cells?
Can be used in remote places where there isn’t much choice.
There’s no pollution (although they do use quite a lot of energy to manufcture in the first place)
In sunny countries solar power is a very reliable source of energy.
Disadvantages of solar cells?
Doesn’t work at night or when there is no sun.
You can’t increase power output when there is extra demand.
Initial costs are high (but after that the enrgy is free and running costs is almost zero).
What is geothermal power?
In volcanic areas or where hot rocks lie quite near to the surface. The source of much of the energy is the slow decay of various radioactive elements such as uranium deep inside the Earth. Water gets pumped down to these rocks to produce steam. Then the steam that is produced drives electricity turbines at ground level.
Buildings can be heated using geothermal energy directly.
Heat flow from underground is sometimes called ground source heat. It can be used to heat water in long underground pipes. The hot water is then pumped around the buildings.
Advantages of geothermal energy?
Free energy
Reliable
Does very little damage to the environment
Generate electircity or heat buildings directly
Disadvatages of geothermal power?
There aren’t very many suitable locations for power plants
The cost of building a power plant is often vphigh compared to the amount of energy it produces
What is hydro-electric power?
Flooding a valley by building a big dam. Water is allowed out through turbines. This produces electricity.
Advantages of hydro-electric power?
No pollution
If they are in remote vallyes they don’t have as bigger impact on humans
It can provide an immediate response to an increased demand for electricty
Reliable (except in times of drought)
No fuels costs and minimal running costs (initial costs are high)
It can be a useful way to generate electricity on a small scale in remote areas
Disadvantages of hydro-electric power?
Flooding the valley means rotting vegetation and therefore the release of CO2.
Loss of habitats (or whole villages)
Unsightly when they dry up
What is wave power?
The waves move a floating generator move up and down which turns a generator which produces electricity that is sent back to the shore via cables.
Advantages of wave power?
No pollution
No fuel costs and minimal running costs (initial costs are high though)
Very useful on small islands
Disadvantages of wave power?
Disturbing the seabed and habitats of marine animals
Spoils the view
Hazard to boats
Fairly unreliable as the vpwaves rely on the wind
What are tidal barrages?
Big dams built across river estuaries with turbines in them. As the tide comes in it fills up the estuary. The water is then allowed out through turbines at a controlled speed.
Advantages of tidal barriages?
Reliable (tides are caused by the sun and the moon)
No pollution
No fuel costs and minimal running costs (inital costs are moderately high)
Has the potential for generating a significant amount of electricity (it can only be used in some of the most suitable estuaries)
Disadvantages of tidal barrages?
Prevents free access by boats
Spoils the view
Alters the habitat of the wildlife
The height of the tide is variable so lower tides will produce much less energy.
They don’t work when the water level is the same either side (this happens four times a day).
