P3 Energy Sources

Question 1

How are biofuels made?

Answer 1

Anything that was alive, usually biowaste is processed into bioethanol. Some places like Brazil specifically grow sugarcane to be used as biofuel

Question 2

Are Biofuels renewable?

Answer 2

Yes

Question 3

What effect do biofuels have on CO2 levels?

Answer 3

They are carbon neutral: the amount of co2 released when they are burned is the same amount as they took in when they were alive

Question 4

Advantages of biofuels?

Answer 4

Biofuels are renewable, carbon neutral, easily used and don’t need special equipment to be used

Question 5

Disadvantages of Biofuels?

Answer 5

Large area required to grow crops for biofuels, produces some harmful gas, food crops sometimes burned which takes food from those who need it

Question 6

How does nuclear power work?

Answer 6

Radioactive fuel is used and due to instability in the nucleus of the atoms they can split and release a large amount of energy causing chain reaction which produces lots of thermal energy.

Question 7

What fuel is used for nuclear power?

Answer 7

Uranium or plutonium

Question 8

Is nuclear power renewable?

Answer 8

No but it can be recycled a lot

Question 9

Advantages of nuclear power?

Answer 9

No fuel is burned so zero greenhouse gases are emitted, much more efficient than fossil fuels

Question 10

Disadvantages of nuclear power?

Answer 10

Radioactive materials can be released accidentally, used fuel must be stored safely, fuel reaction can get out of hand in some cases and cause disasters

Question 11

How do fossil fuels work?

Answer 11

Coal oil or natural gas is burned to convert stored chemical energy into thermal energy which a power plant can turn into electricity

Question 12

Advantages of fossil fuels?

Answer 12

Cheap, easy to use, lots of existing infrastructure

Question 13

Disadvantages of fossil fuels?

Answer 13

Non renewable, finite supply, gases released with burning are not good for us or environment

Question 14

How does geothermal energy work?

Answer 14

Cold water pumped to hot rocks beneath the surface, makes steam which returns to surface and is used to make electricity

Question 15

Is geothermal energy renewable?

Answer 15

Yes

Question 16

Advantages of geothermal energy?

Answer 16

Renewable, produces very little pollution, little environmental harm

Question 17

Disadvantages of geothermal?

Answer 17

Only possible in a few places, setup is very expensive

Question 18

Two different types of solar energy?

Answer 18

Solar cells
- directly absorb suns energy and converts it into electricity
Solar heating panels
- heat water that is passed through pipes or focus heat onto a tank of water

Question 19

Advantages of solar cells

Answer 19

Cheap to run, useful in low energy requirement situations.

Question 20

Advantages of solar heating panels

Answer 20

On a hot day can supply an entire house with power

Question 21

Disadvantages of solar cells

Answer 21

Inefficient, expensive to buy, lots of sun and cells needed to generate useful levels of power

Question 22

Disadvantages of solar heating panels

Answer 22

Need regular cleaning, unreliable in cloudy environments

Question 23

How does tidal power work?

Answer 23

Water from high tide is trapped behind a barrage. Water then released at low tide into the sea through turbines. Water turns turbines and generates power

Question 24

Is tidal power renewable?

Answer 24

Yes

Question 25

Advantages of tidal power?

Answer 25

Renewable, no pollution made, reliable, cheap to run

Question 26

Disadvantages of tidal?

Answer 26

Expensive to build dam, barricade can cause flooding, can affect nearby animals and their habitats

Question 27

How does wind power work?

Answer 27

Electricity generator is built atop a tower. Large turbines which spin when wind is strong and turn kinetic energy of wind into electricity.

Question 28

Is wind power renewable?

Answer 28

Yes

Question 29

Advantages of wind power

Answer 29

Renewable, don’t pollute, cheap and easy to buld

Question 30

Disadvantages of wind power

Answer 30

Loud when working, considered by some to be ugly, only work when it is windy.

Question 31

How does a pumped storage scheme work?

Answer 31

It utilises two reservoirs, one much higher than the other and when energy demand is highest, it lets water run from the higher reservoir down to the lower reservoir through a turbine, generating power and when there is the lowest power demand, cheap energy is used to pump the water back up.