renewable energy Flashcards
The worlds most abundant fossil fuel?
coal
what energy source is considered non renewable
Natural gas
solar radiation makes several other energy sources possible including:
Wind Energy
for the united states, the primary fuel that we use for our energy is:
Oil
The entire pool of oil is not extracted from a well because:
it is not cost effective
In deciding whether to extract oil from a site and how much the total extract an oil company considers:
the distance the oil must be transported, current market price of the oil, potential environmental damage
worldwide the most commonly used renewable energy resource is:
Biomass
A major concern in relations to increased use of liquid bio fuels such as ethanol is:
it may result in an increase in foods costs
why would switch grass make a better source for liquid bio fuel than corn?
- is perennial , it does not need to be replanted every year
- does not require as much fossil fuel input to produce
- a new demand for switch grass would not significantly impact food prices
US current usage of energy
has a higher per capita energy usage than any other nation
the EROEI of coal factos are
older coal has lower water content
amount of thermal energy released as coal is burned
cost of mining operations
what could help reduce heating and cooling energy demand for a home:
installing solar panals
how can the government encourage efficient energy use
requiring higher fuel economy standards for new cars
the production of electricity in conventional nuclear power plants using fission reaction
thermal energy is converted into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy, we in coal-burning power plants
process in how to separate components of crude oil kerosene and diesel
distillation
A major concern associated with with increased use of liquefied coal is:
liquefied coal releases twice as many emissions as traditional oil
Natrual gas is
80-95% Methane
- can be liquefied
interests in nuclear plants have increased because of
low carbon dioxide emissions
largest hydroelectric water impoundment dam in the US
grand coulee dam
largest hydroelectric water impoundment dam in the WORLD
Three gorges dam located in china
the system where harnessed energy comes from the the movement water is driven by the gravitational pull of the moon
tidal systems
uses lens of mirrors and tracking systems to focus sunlight into a beam that is used to heat up water , the steam then causes a turbine to move which operates the generator
concentrating solar thermal system
solar pv generated electricity as a power is less reliable that fossils fuels because
cannot be stores easily in large quantities for use when it is needed
in addition to using geothermal energy to produce electricity, how else can earths thermal resources be used
can be used to heat and cool buildings
One advantage of using hydrogen fuel cells is
the potential for production of greenhouse gasses
the most significant disadvantages of using hydrogen fuel cells is
producing hydrogen is an energy intensive process that can be reliant on fossil fuels
In deciding whether to extract oil from a site and how much of the total to extract, an oil company considers
the distance the oil must be transported, currently market price of oil , potential environmental damage
crude oil is
fractional to obtain the chemicals used for gasoline, lubricants, plastic and other products
the greatest damage to the environment caused by oil extraction is from
road construction and infrastructure development
biomass energy
cab be created by microbial action or burned directly as wood or dung
method can be called passive solar energy collection?
using heat absorbing construction materials
A major disadvantage to using wind to produce electricity is ________.
its energy efficiency compared to conventional power sources
As evidenced by the pushback from Ocean City regarding planned wind energy projects, a major obstacle to the establishment of wind farms near population centers that need them is ________.
concerns over aesthetics
The chemical product of using hydrogen as an energy source is ________.
water molecules
what converts sunlight into electrical energy
photovoltaic cells
as time passes for buries organic material the concentration of carbon in that material
increases
a reason why hybrid electric vehicles use less fossil fuel per mile traveled than a typical internal combustion engine vehicle uses?
when the brakes are applied in hybrid electric vehicles, kinetic energy is covered into electric energy to charge the batteries that assist the electric motor
