P3 Energy resources

Question 1

Name the types of power stations that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Answer 1

Coal, oil and gas-fired power stations

Question 2

Name the type of power station that does not release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Answer 2

Nuclear power station

Question 3

Give one disadvantage of nuclear fuel compared with other fuel types

Answer 3

Nuclear fuel produces radioactive waste, which must be stored for many years until it becomes non-radioactive

Question 4

Explain why ethanol is used as a biofuel

Answer 4

Biofuel is any fuel obtained from living or recent organisms, ethanol is used as biofuel because it is obtained from fermented sugar cane

Question 5

What is a biofuel?

Answer 5

Any fuel taken from living or recently living organisms

Question 6

Advantages of using biofuels as sources of electricity

Answer 6

• Biofuels are renewable sources
• Biofuels are carbon-neutral

Question 7

How are biofuels carbon-neutral?

Answer 7

In theory, the carbon dioxide that the living organism takes in from the atmosphere balances out the amount that is released when the biofuel is burnt

Question 8

Examples of biofuels

Answer 8

Methane and ethanol

Question 9

Describe what happens inside a power station

Answer 9

• In coal or oil-fired power stations, and in most gas-fired power stations, the burning fuel heats water in a boiler
• This produces steam
• The steam drives a turbine that turns an electric generator

Question 10

What is used as fuel in a nuclear power station?

Answer 10

Uranium or plutonium

Question 11

Give one advantage and disadvantage of an oil-fired power station compared with a nuclear power station

Answer 11

Advantage - no radioactive waste
Disadvantage - produces greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide

Question 12

Give one advantage and disadvantage of a gas-fired power station compared with a coal-fired power station

Answer 12

Advantage - starts quicker
Disadvantage - gas supplies will run out before coal

Question 13

Describe how wind power is used to generate electricity

Answer 13

• A wind turbine is an electricity generator at the top of a narrow tower
• The force of the wind drives the turbine’s blades around
• This turns a generator
• The power generated increases as the wind speed increases

Question 14

Disadvantage of wind power

Answer 14

Unreliable because when there is little or no wind the wind turbines cannot generate any electricity

Question 15

Describe how wave power is used to generate electricity

Answer 15

• A wave generator uses the waves to make a floating generator move up and down
• This motion turns the generator so it generates electricity
• A cable between the generator and the shoreline delivers the electricity to the grid system

Question 16

Disadvantages of using wave power to generate electricity

Answer 16

• Unreliable, they don’t produce a constant supply of electricity
• Lots of cables and buildings are needed along the coast to connect the wave generators to the electricity grid, this can spoil areas of coastline

Question 17

Which type of fossil fuel power station has the shortest start-up time?

Answer 17

Gas

Question 18

Advantages of nuclear power

Answer 18

• No greenhouse gases
• Much more energy is transferred from each kilogram of uranium (or plutonium) fuel than from fossil fuel

Question 19

Disadvantages of nuclear power

Answer 19

• Used fuel rods contain radioactive waste, which has to be stored safely for centuries
• An explosion in a reactor could release radioactive material over a wider area, this would affect this area, and the people living there, for many years

Question 20

Advantages of renewable energy sources

Answer 20

• They will never run out because they are always being replenished by natural processes
• They do not produce greenhouse gases or acid rain
• They do not create radioactive waste products
• They can be used where connection to the National Grid is uneconomical

Question 21

Disadvantages of renewable energy sources

Answer 21

• Renewable energy sources are not currently able to meet the world demand
• Wind turbines create a whining noise that can upset people nearby, and some people consider them unsightly
• Solar cells need to cover large areas to generate large amounts of power
• Tidal barrages affect river estuaries and the habitats of creatures and plants there
• Some renewable energy sources are unreliable and are not available all the time