renewable energy

Question 1

wind turbines- how it works

Answer 1

generator in each turbine
blades directly drive turbine
kinetic - electrical energy
remote areas e.g. coasts and moors

Question 2

wind turbines pros

Answer 2

renewable
no pollution (except manufacturing)
no permanent damage to landscape
low running costs

Question 3

wind turbines cons

Answer 3

expensive set up
noisy
eyesore- 1500 to replace coal power stations
can increase power generated to meet demand

Question 4

solar cells- how they work

Answer 4

electric currents directly from sunlight
used for road signs and satellites in remote areas
lower energy devices eg calculator

Question 5

solar cells pros

Answer 5

no pulltion (apart from manufacturing)
very reliable in sunny places- still cost effective in cloudy UK
used on small scale e.g. individual homes
no running costs

Question 6

solar cells cons

Answer 6

high set up costs
expensive and unpractical to set-up to national grid- costs massive compared to value of energy produced
doesn’t work at night

Question 7

HEP

Answer 7

water stored and allowed through turbines

Question 8

HEP pros

Answer 8

not much pollution
renewable
can immediately responded to demand surge
reliable- apart from drought (uk no problem)
no running costs
useful for remote areas

Question 9

HEP cons

Answer 9

flooding- floods habitats and villages
reservoirs unsightly when they dry up
rotting vegetation releases methane and Co2

Question 10

pumped storage

Answer 10

spare nigh time energy is used to pump water to the higher reservoir- a way of storing energy
extra water can be released during peak times e.g. tea time

Question 11

wave powered turbines

Answer 11

when waves hit the coast they go up and down, forcing air up in spurts into turbines- which drives generator

Question 12

wave powered pros

Answer 12

no pollution
useful on small scale eg. islands
no fuel costs or running costs

Question 13

wave powered cons

Answer 13

hazard to boats
eyesore
unreliable - waves rely on wind

Question 14

tidal barrages

Answer 14

dams across estury with turbines
tide comes in and fills estury to a height of several meters- drives turbines
then water allowed back out through turbines in controlled amounts
relies on the gravity of the earth and the moon

Question 15

tidal barrages pros

Answer 15

no pollution
good for storing energy for peak times
reliable in a sense- tide goes in and out twice a day
no fuel or running costs
potential to produce lots of energy

Question 16

tidal barrages cons

Answer 16

tides can be weak- low height so less energy
doesn’t work when water level is the same (happens 4 times a day)
high initial costs
prevent boat access
spoils view
alters habitats

Question 17

geothermal

Answer 17

in volcanic areas
heat from slow decay of radioactive elements - uranium etc. from deep inside earth heat rocks near the surface
water pumped in and steam rises to surface driving turbines

Question 18

geothernmal pros

Answer 18

no environmental problems

can be used to directly heat buildings

Question 19

geothermal cons

Answer 19

high set-up cost compared to energy out

limited locations- volcanic

Question 20

biofuels

Answer 20

can be solids- straw , nutshells and woodchips
liquids- ethanol
gases- methane- sludge digesters (sewage)
from plant matter- recently dead or alive ]fermentation of sugar cane for ethanol

Question 21

biggest producers of CO2 fossil fuels

Answer 21

1) coal
2) crude oil
3) natural gas

Question 22

effe ts of fossil fuels- not obvious

Answer 22

coal mining makes a mess of landscape- open cut
oil spillages
nuclear power- no gases but toxic waste
risk of disaster- nuclear

Question 23

nuclear cons

Answer 23

expensive to build
long start up time
nuclear waste
decommissioning takes time and money
nuclear disasters

Question 24

biofuel problems

Answer 24

supposedly carbon neutral- gases released were recently taken in by growing plants
only carbon neutral if they grow plants at the rate they burn them
forest areas cleared- loss of habitat and carbon taking in plants
methane from animals anddecaying and burning plants
limited to land available - food prices increase too

Question 25

carbon capture

Answer 25

co2 from power stations taken in and stored in other places:
empty oil and gas fields under oceans#
dissolving co2 in deep ocean water
algae- used to produce oil for biofuel

Question 26

coal and oil are replaced into gas because

Answer 26

oil and coal are running out
easy to change and set up
gas is cleaner
there is more gas left

Question 27

location factors of power stations (non obvious)

Answer 27

oil- near coast as oil is transported by the sea

nuclear- away from sea

Question 28

setting up a power station factors of disscussion

Answer 28

set-up costs
set-up/ decommissioning time
reliability issues
running/fuel costs
environmental issues
location issues

Question 29

environmental issues sub headings

Answer 29

atmospheric pollution
noise pollution
visual pollution 
using up resources
disruption of habitats
disasters/spills