Sustainable energy supplies Flashcards by Neve M

What is the main contributor to human induced climate change?

Emissions of greenhouse gases

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the 3 key energy issues for individual countries?

Sustainability, security and strategy

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the average distribution of whtat energy is used for?

Transport - 34%
Domestic - 29%
Industry - 23%
Commerce and other uses - 14%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the causes of energy insecurity?

Exhaustion of own nation’s reserves, renewable flows
External suppliers unwilling to make energy available for political reasons
Incapable of paying a price demanded by external suppliers
Producing and using energy in a way that meets the present needs but doesn’t take future generations into consideration

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are renewable energy resources?

Energy supplies that offer unlimited use that contribute no atmospheric pollution when generating

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are critical renewable energy resources?

Require careful management as they can be used up at a faster rate than they are being replaced

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are non-critical renewable energy resources?

Have unlimited availability. Don’t need to worry about the rate they are used at

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is solar energy?

Sunlight turned into electrical energy by striking photovoltaic cells or being focussed onto CSP tower, to heat steam to pass through a turbine

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the advantages of solar energy?

Cost reducing every year, needs little maintenance, saves 500,000 tons of CO2 in Barcelona

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the disadvantages of solar energy?

Must be south facing in a location with good sun exposure, expensive cells, needs large amount of land, harmful manufacture process

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is plantar solar 10?

The world’s first commercial concentrating solar power tower, operating in Seville

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How much did PS10 cost?

35 million euros

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How long did it take to build PS10?

4 years

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is tidal energy?

Tidal movement drives turbines, or a barrage acts as a dam that channels water flow during tidal movements to drive movements

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How much of Europe’s tidal production is in the UK?

50%

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the advantages of tidal energy?

No greenhouse gases emissions, few wildlife impacts

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the disadvantages of tidal energy?

Possibly increased salinity, still disturbed wildlife and migration, expensive, silt build-up

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Where is Rance Tidal Power Station?

Located on the estuary of the Rance River in Brittany, France

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

How long is the Rance Tidal Power Station?

750m long with 24 turbines

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is hydroelectric power?

Fast flowing water is directed through turbines. The force of the water spins the turbine’s blades generating electricity

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the advantages of HEP?

Once operating they are very cheap and efficient to run, emitting no greenhouse gases

What are the disadvantages of HEP?

Building structures on rivers and dams may harm the wildlife, are expensive, may overflow or experience silt build up

What is wind energy?

Wind hits angles blades, turning a turbine, which turns kinetic energy into electrical energy

What are the advantages of wind energy?

Cost dropped 6x since 1980, no greenhouse gas emissions, will never run out, low operating costs

What are the disadvantages of wind energy?

Intermittent, supply can't rise with demand, harms wildlife, noise and visual pollution

How much of the UKs 10GW does Walney island contribute to?

1GW

How many homes does Walney island power?

Nearly 500,000

What is geothermal energy?

Using either hot or dry rock or high temperature geo-pressurised aquifer systems to spin turbines

What are the advantages of geothermal energy?

No greenhouse gas emissions, small footprint power stations, free, no fuel required

What are the disadvantages of geothermal energy?

Limited locations (needs geothermal activity and correct rocks), may run out of steam or heat, may release sulphur and hazardous minerals

How much of Reykjavik is powered by geothermal energy?

95%

What is wave energy?

Either a fixed structure at the coast, where waves rise on wall and compress air to turn a turbine, or oil moving through a structure at sea

What are advantages of wave energy?

Regular production, with less impact compared to a tidal barrage

What are the disadvantages of wave energy?

Visual pollution, disrupts fishing and swimming, hard to get electricity back to the shore

What is biomass energy?

High carbon plants such as sugar cane or grains are turned into ethanol by putting plants in a gasifier, which is used as a fuel. Alternatively, solids such as sewage, wood and rubbish are burnt

What are the advantages of biomass energy?

Easy to store and scale to demand, absorbs CO2 while growing, allows the reuse of wastes

What are the disadvantages of biomass energy?

Produced CO2 during burning, farming is controversial (food dilemma, deforestation, soil erosion, habitat loss)

What are non-renewable energy resources?

Finite, so as they are used the total supply reduces. Eventually, they will become exhausted

What is coal energy?

Open cast, or deep shaft mines remove coal from coal beds in the ground. Coal is then burnt and the heat turns water to steam, turning turbines

What are the advantages of coal energy?

Easy and simple to build, high energy density, plentiful supplies, new technology allows for easy ground extraction, carbon capture means less emissions

What are the disadvantages of coal energy?

Produces pollutants (SO2, CO2), bulky to transport, produces large volume of waste, high sulphur content (flue gas desulphurisation produces gypsum and needs a lot of limestone)

What is oil energy?

Carbon dense crude oil from fossilised animals trapped in rock layers underground

What are the advantages of oil energy?

High energy density, easy to transport (pipes, ships), flexible us (petrol, heating oil, bitumen), cleaner and easier to burn than coal

What are the disadvantages of oil energy?

Limited supply (30bn barrels used per year, only 4bn discovered per year), price fluctuates and vulnerability under control of OPEC and wars, issues with oil spills, produces atmospheric pollutants

What is natural gas energy?

Trapped in rocks deep underground - is blasted out with high pressure fluids (blasting and cracking shale rocks). Same steam/turbine process

What are the advantages of natural gas energy?

Large deposits yet to be discovered, cleanest of the fossil fuels, 50% reduction in USA gas prices due to fracking, new technologies developed

What are the disadvantages of natural gas energy?

Limited supply, produces greenhouse gases, fracking induces seismic activity, associated health issues if gas/fluids leak into underground aquifers

What is nuclear energy?

Uranium ore is mined and turned into fuel rods that undergo radioactive decay. The splitting of atoms created heat that warms water to steam, turning turbines

What are the advantages of nuclear energy?

Very efficient, no atmospheric pollutant, reduced dependence on greenhouse gases

What are the disadvantages of nuclear energy?

Expensive to build/run, takes a long time to plan and then decommission, hard to dispose of toxic water, disasters such as Chernobyl taint the image