Renewable Energy Flashcards
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What does finite mean
Will run out
What percentage of electricity comes from coal in the UK
23%
What is our main source of electricity
Natural gas (30%)
What is Fission
The process in which Uranium atoms are split and heat is produced
What percentage of electricity comes from Nuclear Power Stations in the UK
22%
Give some disadvantages of nuclear power stations
Set limit to the length of life the stations have
Possible nuclear leaks
Nuclear waste highly hazardous
What percentage of our electricity comes from renewable energy
25%
Where are the best places to put a wind farm
On the coast
Offshore
On a hill
As the blades are so long, the tower must be very high, but the land underneath can still be used
What is passive solar technology
Positioning a building to gain heat from the sun, by placing most windows facing south
What is active solar technology
Photovoltaic cells, catching solar energy and converting it into power
The amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth is….., easily outstripping all the combined……… …..and……….deposits in a single year
Vast
Fossil fuels
Uranium
Give some issues with solar energy
The position of the Earth, equator = efficient but poles are not
Day and night
Photovoltaic cells take up valuable land
It is estimated that Britain could provide around..% of it’s energy from tidal power
20
Give a from of tidal power and how it works
Tidal Barrage
A dam built across the south of a river where is meets the sea, these are known as Estuary Barrages
These can be constructed so that the incoming tide turns the turbines generating electricity
Give an issue with tidal power
River would never completely empty, flooding habitats
Water disposal as many towns dispose sewage into rivers
How does hydroelectric work
Once sufficient water builds up behind the dam, it is stored in a reservoir and can be canned through turbines that are used to turn generators for electricity.
Give an advantage and a disadvantage of hydroelectric power
Advantage - As water is held, electricity can be produced very quickly by opening valves
Disadvantage - Environmental effects from the flooding of a valley and reducing water flow behind the dam can affect growing of crops and river ecosystems
What is used in biomass
Vegetable oils, oiled, rapeseed, willow
What is the disadvantage of biomass
The burning produces pollution still, and the land could of been used for growing crops for food
What is the advantage of biomass
The replacement of crops can be grown very quickly to ensure a constant supply
What is a flywheel
A mechanical system that stores rotational energy
A lot of energy has to be applied to make one spin, as more energy is applied, the wheel spins faster
Flywheels require a lot of force to make them stop and it is this that makes them very useful in storing energy
Just as a battery stores chemical energy, flywheels store kinetic
What is a capacitor
Most popular non-chemical method of storing electricity
Consist of two plates of opposite polarity. When the capacitor is charged, the positive charge migrates towards one plate and the negative to the other.
Super capacitors are used in electric vehicles because they can be recharged millions of times (more than batteries)
Give the two types of battery
Primary - ‘single use’ which we use and discard
(Alkaline batteries or Zinc Carbon)
Secondary - ‘rechargeable’
What are rechargeable batteries
More expensive but cheaper to use as they can be recharged many times
However, there is a limit to how many times they can be recharged
Nickel Cadmium batteries last…….
Lithium ones are more…….
Longer
Adaptable
