P3: Energy resources Flashcards
What are the 3 main fossil fuels?
Gas, oil and coal
What are the advantages of fossil fuels?
Reliable
Release a lot of energy
Abundant
Cheap
Versatile (transport, electricity etc. - they are portable)
What are the disadvantages of fossil fuels?
Releases CO2, contributing climate change
Non-renewable
Releases other pollutants, causing acid rain
What are the advantages of nuclear power?
No greenhouse gasses - no contribution to climate change
Reliable
What are the disadvantages of nuclear power?
Dangerous radioactive waste
Extremely expensive and time consuming to decommission
Radioactive waste takes ages to get rid of
Why is burning gas better than burning coal?
Less CO2
Gas power stations have a shorter start-up time
Why did countries switch to renewables?
They contribute less to climate change
What is a baseload?
A constant supply of electricity that’s on all the time
- nuclear power ideal for this
What is a renewable energy resource?
A resource that is being, or can be replenished as it is used
What are some renewable energy resources?
Tidal power
Biofuels
Geothermal energy
Wave power
Solar power
Wind power
What are the advantages between all renewables?
Infinite
No greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere
What are the disadvantages of some renewables?
Not entirely reliable
Destroys some habitats (HEP)
Only useful in certain locations (HEP requires rivers)
Not very versatile
What are biofuels?
Produced from plant material, they take in as much CO2 as they emit (carbon neutral).
What are some problems with biofuels?
Using land that could grow crops could push up the price of food
