renewable energy sources and nuclear energy Flashcards
nuclear energy is
the energy contained within an atom
nuclear energy is released through
nuclear reaction that split or combine atoms
what is fission
the splitting of atoms to produce energy
nuclear fission uses a type of what
uranium
what happens when uranium atoms come apart
heat is produced that produces steam that is converted into electricity through generators
fusion is
the process in which nuclei of small atoms join together to form new atoms
nuclear fission: renewable or not
why?
not
it uses uranium-235 which is limited
major concern with nuclear energy is
the radioactive waste it produces
EPA
environmental protection agency
nuclear waste must be
stored and contained for at least 10000 years before being returned to the environment
what is the main disadvantage with nuclear fission
it can only occur at very high tempatures in a labratory setting
what is an electrical generator
a device in which some form of energy is used to cause a magnet and coiled wire to move relative to one another, producing an electrical current
what is earths primary source of energy
da sun
what is solar energy
the energy that is contained in the electromagnetic waves that emenate from the sun
most of solar energy is converted to
heat
the circulation of earths atmosphere and sea is caused by what
solar energy
what are solar cells for
collecting sunlight and transmitting it into electricity
problems with solar cells
does bad on cloudy days, energy is variable, and energy is hard to store in batteries
what is wind
and indirect form of solar energy that results from the uneven heating of the earths atmosphere
windmills are used to
generate electricity
downside of wind energy
its variable
a wind farm is
a large number of windmills in an area for the purpose to produce energy
wind power is
electricity produced by wind
yawing is
the action of turning a wind turbine to face the winds direction
water wheels have been used since
for
ancient times
grinding grain into flour
what produced most of the energy in factories during the first half of the industrial revolution
water wheels
the water cycle is
water evaporate when heat, come back down to earth, release energy while go to ocean
in order to generate electricity from running water
a dam must be built to contain it
what happens behind a dam
a lake is formed and turns the turbines at the base of the dam when it is released
turbines turn generators with produce electricity
downside with construction of dams
destroys forest and wildlife
what is conservation
the limited use of energy order to prolong its supply
what are the three r’s
reduce reuse recycle
can electrical energy be transformed into almost any other type of energy
yes
geothermal energy is
the energy that exists within the earth
where does geothermal energy escape through
hot springs, geysers, volcanoes
where did geothermal energy originate from
when it was first formed and radioactive rocks
