Chapter 20 - Conventional Energy Alternatives

Question 1

nuclear energy

Answer 1

the energy that holds together protons and neutrons within the nucleus of an atom. Several processes, each of which involve transforming isotopes of one element into isotopes of another element(s), can convert nuclear energy into thermal energy, which is then used to generate electricity

Question 2

nuclear fission

Answer 2

the conversion of energy within an atom’s nucleus to usable thermal energy by splitting apart atomic nuclei

Question 3

nuclear fusion

Answer 3

the conversion of the energy within an atoms’s nucleus to usable thermal energy by forcing together the small nuclei of lightweight elements under extremely high temperature and pressure. development of nuclear fusion is still remains elusive

Question 4

nuclear reactor

Answer 4

a facility within a nuclear power plant that initiates and controls the process of nuclear fission in order to generate electricity

Question 5

chernobyl

Answer 5

site of a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, where in 1986 an explosion caused a nuclear reaction accident

Question 6

three mile island

Answer 6

nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania that in 1979 experienced a partial meltdon

Question 7

Fukushima daiichi

Answer 7

Japanese nuclear power plant damaged in a tsunami associated with the march 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

Question 8

meltdown

Answer 8

the accidental melting of the uranium fuel rods inside the core of a nuclear reactor, causing the release of radiation

Question 9

bioenergy (biomass energy)

Answer 9

energy harnessed from plant and animal matter, including wood from trees, charcoal from burned wood, and combustible animal waste products, such as cattle manure. fossil fuels are not considered biomass energy sources because their organic matter has not been a part of living organisms for millions of years and has undergone considerable chemical alterations since that time

Question 10

biomass

Answer 10

(1) in ecology, organic material that makes up living organisms; the collective mass of living matter in a given place and time. (2) in energy, organic material derived from living or recently living organisms, containing chemical energy that originated with photosynthesis

Question 11

biofuel

Answer 11

fuel produced from biomass energy sources and used primarily to power automobiles. can be burned at a power plant to produce electricity

Question 12

biopower

Answer 12

power attained by combusting bioenergy sources to generate electricity

Question 13

ethanol

Answer 13

the alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor, produced as a biofuel by fermenting biomass, generally from carbohydrate-rich crops such as corn

Question 14

biodiesel

Answer 14

denial fuel produced by mixing vegetable oil, used cooling grease, or animal fat with small amounts of ethanol or methanol (wood alcohol) in the presence of a chemical catalyst

Question 15

cellulosic ethanol

Answer 15

ethanol produced from the cellulose in plant tissues by treating it with enzymes. techniques for producing cellulosic ethanol are under development because of the desire to make ethanol from low value crop waste ( residues such as corn stalks and husks), rather than from the sugars of high values crops

Question 16

storage

Answer 16

technique used to generate hydroelectric power, in which large amounts of water are impounded in a reservoir behind a concrete dam and then passed through the dam to turn turbines and produce electricity

Question 17

run-of-river

Answer 17

any of several methods used to generate hydroelectric power without greatly disrupting the flow of river water. they eliminate much of the environmental impacts of large dams

Question 18

hydroelectric power (hydropower)

Answer 18

the generation of electricity using kinetic energy of moving water

Question 19

pumped storage

Answer 19

a technique used to generate hydropower in which water is pumped from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir when power demand is weak and prices are low, when demand is strong and prices are high, water is allowed to flow downhill trough a turbine, generating electricity