P3 - Energy resources (year 9)

Question 1

Which energy resources does most of our energy come from? (3)

Answer 1

coal, oil and (natural) gas

Question 2

Define:
a) renewable
b) non-renewable
c) carbon neutral

Answer 2

a) an energy resource that won’t run out
b) an energy resource that will run out eventually
c) releases the same amount of CO2 as when the plants took in when they were growing
e.g. biofuel

Question 3

List 7 renewable energy resources

Answer 3

• biomass
• solar
• wind
• geothermal
• hydroelectric
• wave
• tidal

Question 4

List 4 non-renewable energy resources

Answer 4

1. coal
2. oil
3. natural gas
4. nuclear

Question 5

advantages of biomass (3)

Answer 5

• renewable
• carbon neutral - if you keep growing plants at the rate you’re burning things
• fairly reliable –> crops take a short time to grow

Question 6

price?

how much fuel to run?
energy demands?
space for biofuels?

disadvantages of biomass (2)

Answer 6

• expensive
• needs a lot of fuel to run
• can’t respond to immediate energy demands
• in some regions, large areas of forest have been cleared to make room for growing biofuels, so lots of species have lost their natural habitats

Question 7

advantages of solar

Answer 7

• renewable
• no pollution
• very reliable in sunny countries
• initial costs are hign, but after that the energy is free and running costs are almost nil

Question 8

disadvantages of solar

Answer 8

• use quite a lot of energy to manufacture
• only produce electricity in the daytime
• don’t produce a lot of energy
• can’t increase the power output when there is extra demand

Question 9

advantages of wind power

Answer 9

• renewable
• doesn’t permanently affect the landscape
• initial costs are quite high but there are no fuel costs and minimal running costs
• on average, wind turbines produce electricity 75-80% of the time

Question 10

disadvantages of wind power

Answer 10

• spoil the view
• you’d need 1500 wind turbines to replace 1 coal-fired power station, which would cover a lot of ground and have a large effect on the scenery
• can be very noisy - annoying for people living nearby
• turbinies could stop if the wind is not strong enough or if the wind is too strong

Question 11

advantages of geothermal

Answer 11

• renewable
• brilliant free energy that is reliable and causes very little damage to the environment

Question 12

disadvantages of geothermal

Answer 12

• aren’t many suitable locations for power plants
• cost of builing a power plant is high compared to the amount of energy it produces

Question 13

advantages of hydroelectric power

Answer 13

• renewable

Question 14

disadvantages of hydroelectric power

Answer 14

• flood risk
• dams are very expensive to build
• a good site for a hydroelectric power plant is not always near towns, where the energy is needed
• not environmentally friendly; when a reservoir is made, wildlife habitats can be lost

Question 15

advantages of wave power

Answer 15

• ## renewable

Question 16

disadvantages of wave power

Question 17

advantages of tidal

Answer 17

• renewable

Question 18

disadvantages of tidal

Question 19

advantages of coal power

Question 20

disadvantages of coal power

Answer 20

• non-renewable

Question 21

advantages of oil

Question 22

disadvantages of oil

Answer 22

• non-renewable

Question 23

advantages of natural gas

Answer 23

• no sulfur dioxide produced –> acid rain
• easy to transport (by pipeline) because it’s very light

Question 24

disadvantages of natural gas

Answer 24

• non-renewable

Question 25

advantages of nuclear

Answer 25

• uranium is cheap

Question 26

disadvantages of nuclear

Answer 26

• non-renewable
• emits CO2