Renewable and nonrenewable energy sources

Question 1

Hydroelectricity

Answer 1

Benefits:

• They are fast moving
• renewable energy source
• powers a generator
• no pollution (air or water)

Drawbacks:

• not available everywhere
• needs high elevation
• disturbing the aquatic life and water flow
• dams could break
• lowers water levels

Question 2

Tidal Energy

Answer 2

Benefits:

• no pollution
• using natural resources
• not harming environment

Drawbacks:
-only during certain times of the day
-Can only be used in areas with strong tides
-can only be built near coastlines
hmm

Question 3

Wind energy

Answer 3

Benefits:

• renewable
• uses wind
• no pollution
• natural resources
• cheaper to use
• can be located closer to home

Drawbacks:

• needs wind to operate
• can break
• wind speed changes so it may be difficult to generate a steady supply of electricity from a particular location

Question 4

Solar energy

Answer 4

Benefits:

• converts light energy into clean electrical energy
• cheaper in the long run
• natural resource, free
• Renewable
• Reduces global warming

Drawbacks:

• only works where there is a lot of sun
• higher initial cost
• can break
• only 30% efficient
• needs several hours to convert energy

Question 5

Thermal Electric power

Answer 5

Thermal power generation involves heating water to produce steam which then rotates a turbine to produce electricity. To produce steam we can use fossil fuels, radioactivity (uranium), biomass and geothermal.

Question 6

Fossil fuels

Coal, oil and natural gas

Answer 6

Benefits:

• they produce significant amounts of energy
• important resource for energy production
• more efficient when using them
• cheaper than buying solar panels

Drawbacks:

• takes millions of years to form
• they are being used up faster the new ones are being formed
• when burned they produce toxins and greenhouse gases. Which depletes the ozone layer which protects the earth from the sun‘s harmful rays
• produces air pollution (coal)
• contributes to global warming
• creates large amounts of pollution in greenhouse gases, acid rain and smog (oil and natural gases)

Question 7

Radioactive materials

Uranium

Answer 7

Benefits:

• re use water
• energy is used then to heat water producing steam
• creates large masses of energy at once
• it is clean fuel

Drawbacks:

• it’s non renewable
• very hard to dispose the waste product
• waste is hazardous
• radioactive material

Question 8

Biomass

Answer 8

Benefits:

• always available
• less money spent on foreign oil
• renewable
• alternate fuel for generating electrical energy

Drawbacks:

• not efficient source of energy production
• not enough to supply our ever increasing demand for energy
• growing crops for fuel reduces the amount left for growing food

Question 9

Geothermal

Answer 9

Benefits:

• no pollution is produced
• it can be used in any location

Drawbacks:

• it can be challenging to obtain
• must be built In places where the temperature deep in the ground is enough to produce steam