Renewable Energy

Question 1

What does finite mean

Answer 1

Will run out

Question 2

What percentage of electricity comes from coal in the UK

Answer 2

23%

Question 3

What is our main source of electricity

Answer 3

Natural gas (30%)

Question 4

What is Fission

Answer 4

The process in which Uranium atoms are split and heat is produced

Question 5

What percentage of electricity comes from Nuclear Power Stations in the UK

Answer 5

22%

Question 6

Give some disadvantages of nuclear power stations

Answer 6

Set limit to the length of life the stations have
Possible nuclear leaks
Nuclear waste highly hazardous

Question 7

What percentage of our electricity comes from renewable energy

Answer 7

25%

Question 8

Where are the best places to put a wind farm

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What is passive solar technology

Answer 9

Positioning a building to gain heat from the sun, by placing most windows facing south

Question 10

What is active solar technology

Answer 10

Photovoltaic cells, catching solar energy and converting it into power

Question 11

The amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth is….., easily outstripping all the combined……… …..and……….deposits in a single year

Answer 11

Vast
Fossil fuels
Uranium

Question 12

Give some issues with solar energy

Answer 12

The position of the Earth, equator = efficient but poles are not

Day and night

Photovoltaic cells take up valuable land

Question 13

It is estimated that Britain could provide around..% of it’s energy from tidal power

Answer 13

20

Question 14

Give a from of tidal power and how it works

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Give an issue with tidal power

Answer 15

River would never completely empty, flooding habitats

Water disposal as many towns dispose sewage into rivers

Question 16

How does hydroelectric work

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Give an advantage and a disadvantage of hydroelectric power

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What is used in biomass

Answer 18

Vegetable oils, oiled, rapeseed, willow

Question 19

What is the disadvantage of biomass

Answer 19

The burning produces pollution still, and the land could of been used for growing crops for food

Question 20

What is the advantage of biomass

Answer 20

The replacement of crops can be grown very quickly to ensure a constant supply

Question 21

What is a flywheel

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What is a capacitor

Answer 22

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)

Question 23

Give the two types of battery

Answer 23

Primary - ‘single use’ which we use and discard
(Alkaline batteries or Zinc Carbon)

Secondary - ‘rechargeable’

Question 24

What are rechargeable batteries

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Nickel Cadmium batteries last…….

Lithium ones are more…….

Answer 25

Longer

Adaptable