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Physics > Topic 1.12- 1.17- Energy resources > Flashcards

Topic 1.12- 1.17- Energy resources Flashcards

1
Q

List non renewable energy sources

A
  • fossil fuels: coal, natural gas, oil,
  • Nuclear
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2
Q

List renewable energy sources

A
  • wind
  • solar
  • hydroelectric
  • geothermal
  • biofuels
  • tidal
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3
Q

What is a fossil fuel

A

hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the earth’s crust from the remains of dead plants and animals.

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4
Q

What are the three main types of fossil fuels

A

coal, crude oil, natural gas

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5
Q

What are the main uses of fossil fuels

A
  • burned to provide heat
  • to power engines
  • to generate electricity
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6
Q

What are the pros of fossil fuels

A
  • relatively cheap
  • used in any conditions
  • infrastructure designed to run on it
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7
Q

What are the cons of fossil fuels

A
  • limited resource
  • produce CO2 when burned
  • produce toxic gases when burned
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8
Q

What is nuclear energy

A

energy obtained via nuclear reactions, such as nuclear fission reactions in nuclear power stations

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9
Q

Uses of nuclear energy

A
  • generates electricity
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10
Q

What are the pros of nuclear energy

A
  • Do not produce any pollutants
  • Can be used in any conditions
  • Very unlikely to run out
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11
Q

What are the cons of nuclear energy

A
  • relatively expensive
  • Technically a finite resource
  • produce radioactive waste which remains harmful for thousands of years
  • small chance of a nuclear meltdown which could release large amounts of radioactive material into the environment
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12
Q

How do wind turbines work

A

Blades spin in wind causing a generator to turn, which converts kinetic energy into electrical energy

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13
Q

How do solar Panels work

A

Solar cells generate electric currents directly from sunlight

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14
Q

What are the pros of wind and solar energy

A
  • low cost to run
  • doesn’t produce any pollutants
  • dont damage environment
  • getting cheaper each year
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15
Q

What are the cons of wind and solar energy

A
  • high cost to build
  • produces pollutants whilst being made
  • weather dependent
  • cant increase production in high demand
  • take up a lot of space, unappealing to the eye
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16
Q

What is geothermal energy

A

thermal energy generated and stored in the earths crust- from radioactive decay

17
Q

What are the to uses of geothermal energy (and describe them)

A

heating- water pumped into the ground to be heated and then back up to heat our homes
electricity- water in ground heated until a vapour which then rises and turns turbines to generate electricity

18
Q

what are the pros of geothermal energy

A
  • installing has minimal damages to the environment
  • when running no pollutants produced
  • reliable over long periods
19
Q

what are the cons of geothermal energy

A
  • can only be used in certain areas
  • power plants can be expensive to install
20
Q

What are biofuels

A

fuels made from recently living organisms generally from plants or algae

21
Q

what are the pros of biofuels

A
  • carbon neutral
  • cheap to make
  • easy to transport
  • can mix with petrol
22
Q

what are the cons of biofuels

A
  • need to grow plants suitable which can take up other land (deforestation), damaging environment
  • harvesting, processing and transport releases more co2
23
Q

How do tidal barrages and hydroelectric damns work

A
  • A big damn prevents water flowing to get a higher water level on one side than the other
  • stored water has gpe that can be converted into electricity
24
Q

what are the pros of tidal barrages and hydroelectric damns

A
  • no pollution
  • reliable
  • provide immediate response to demand
  • work on large and small scales
  • cheap to run
25
Q

what are the cons of tidal barrages and hydroelectric damns

A
  • big impact on surrounding environment
  • stop boats and fish from travelling up and down river
  • expensive to build

Physics (9 decks)

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