Renewable Energy/ Consumption Flashcards
What does non renewable energy mean
A natural resource or source of energy existing in finite quantity; not capable of being replenished
DESCRIBE the pattern of energy supply in the UK from 1950 to present day
- increased transport consumption
- slight increase of domestic use
- decreased industrual use
- service use hasn’t changed
Explain why the enegy usage has changed
- decrease in coal reserves, so not enough to economically extract
- development of renewable energy, has increased demand due to concerns about pollution
- Government help/grants, helped reduce cost of energy supply such as renewables
Why should/shouldn’t use non renewable energy
SHOULD: cheap, easy to transport and districbute, abundantly available
SHOULDN’T: affects the environment, finite resource
What is Equitable
Social + economic sustainability
What is bearable
Social + environmental sustainability
What is viable
Economic + environmental sustainability
Describe UK energy usages in 1950
- dominated by coal, 80%
- rest is mostly oil
Describe UK energy usages in 1990
- renewable energy = less than 2% of electricity generation
Describe UK energy usages in 2009
- UK Government Renewable Energy strategy
- hopes that 15% of UK energy to come from renewable sources by 2020
Describe UK energy usages in 2013
- renewable energy = 15% of UKs electricity generated
Describe UK energy usages in 2015
Renewable energy = 25% of UKs electricity generated
How does Biofuel work
- energy produced from organic matter
- burning plants and such
How much does Biofuel contribute
- 5%
Advantages of Biofuel
- fuel is cheap
- helps get rid of waste
- biomass can’t run out
Disadvantages of biomass
- collects CO2
- Collecting the waste to burn is difficult
- it the trees aren’t regrown = deforestation
How does wind work
- turbines on land or sea are turned around by the wind
- generating electricity
How much energy does wind turbines contribute
- in 2014 = just below 10%
Advantages of wind turbines
- running costs = low
- no waste or pollution produced
- land occupied for win farm can still be used normally
Disadvantages of wind turbines
- no wind = no power
- spoil view
- creates low-level noise
- interfere with television reception and radar
How does hydro electric power work
- river blocked by dam
- reservoir is created by trapped water
- trapped water flows out through pipes under great pressure
- turning a turbine = generating electricity
What are the usages of hydroelectric power in UK
- supplies 1.4% of UK electricity
Advantages of hydro electric power
- low running costs
- no waste/pollution produced
- electricity can be constantly produced (water stored and used as needed)
What are the disadvantages of hydro electric power
- expensive construction costs
- sites are remote and difficult to find
How does solar work
- photovoltaic cells mounted on solar panels
- convert light into electricity
Usage of solar panels
- very good during summer
- can be fitted on houses
Advantages of solar panels
- low running costs
- can generate electricity anywhere with light
- no waste/pollution
Disadvantages of solar panels
- doesn’t work at night
- photovoltaic cells are expensive
How does tidal produce electricity
- turbines within barrages are constructed across river estuaries
- use rising and falling tides to spin a turbine to generate electricity
Advantage of tidal energy
- low running costs
- no waste/pollution
- reliable
- no fuel required
Disadvantages of tidal energy
- Only a few suitable places for construction
- expensive
- disrupts local ecosystem
How does wave energy work
- waves force air into a chamber
- turning a turbine linked to a generator
Usage of tidal in UK
- could be 10% in the future
- still in early stages of development
Usage of wave
- not a lot due to economics and environmental concerns
Advantages of wave
- low running costs
- no pollution/ waste
- produces a lot of energy
Disadvantages of wave
- noisy
- hazardous to ships
- only effective where there’s strong waves
How does geothermal work
- water heated underground
- creates steam when touching hot rocks
- steam drives a turbine to generate electricity
Advantages of geothermal
- no pollution/waste
- low running costs
Disadvantages of geothermal
- hot rocks need to be a specific type, so site locations are hard to find
- if not managed carefully it can’t be used very long
How does hydrogen fuel cells produce electricitry
- converts CO2 and hydrogen into water
- producing electricity and heat
Advantages of Hydrogen fuel cells
- no pollution: only waste product is heat + water
- no noise
- can be built from a range of sizes to suit uses
Disadvantages of hydrogen fuel cells
- need hydrogen = not renewable
- it will be awhile until hydrogen is abundantly available
- hydrogen = flammable = dangerous
How does oil and coal produce electricity
- burn them to create steam
- turns a turbine = electricity
Advantages of coal and oil
- readily available
- creates jobs
- easy to extract
- relatively cheap
Disadvantages of coal and oil
-global warming
- destroys habitats extracting them
- Finite
- health issues
How does fracking work
- pump water + sand under high pressure
- into deep shale rock, splitting it apart
- forcing gas or oil to rise to surface to be collected
Advantages of fracking
- easy to acces fossil fuels
- strengthen economies
- creates jobs
Disadvantages of fracking
- contaminate water and soil
- increase seismic risks
- destruction of habitat
- noisy
How does nuclear generate electricity
- heat produced in nuclear fission
- make steam to turn a turbine
Advantages of nuclear
- no polluting gases
- no global warming contribution
- low fuel cost
- long lifetime
Disadvantages of nuclear
- difficult to safely dispose of radioactive waste
- accidents can be catastrophic
- public perception is negative
- expensive
When and what was the miner’s strike
- 1961
- used to account for 80%
- miner’s strike over coal mine closures
