Energy sources Flashcards
(22 cards)
Wind Power advantages
-Renewable (no radioactive or greenhouse gas waste)
- Can be used when national grid is uneconomic
Wind Power disadvantages
- wind isn’t constant, can be weak on different days
- turbines spoil views
- create whining noise (noise pollution)
HEP advantages
- renewable
- (no radioactive or greenhouse gas waste)
- Can be used when national grid is uneconomic
HEP disadvantages
- doesn’t always rain (reservoir can run dry)
- need natural valley/ ravine, large reservoir of water (affects animals and plant life, flooded to create dams)
Wave Power advantages
- renewable
-(no radioactive or greenhouse gas waste) - Can be used when national grid is uneconomic
Wave Power disadvantages
- waves aren’t constant, can be weak on different days
- has to withstand storms
- lots of cables to connect across coast with grid (destroys areas of coastline + marine life)
Tidal Power advantages
- renewable
-(no radioactive or greenhouse gas waste) - Can be used when national grid is uneconomic
Tidal Power disadvantages
- affects habitat
- tide waves vary of tide cycles (monthly/yearly)
Solar Power advantages
- renewable
- useful for generating small amounts of electricity
- successful in hot, dry climates
- clean energy source (no power cables or fuels)
- long life
- Can be used when national grid is uneconomic
Solar Power disadvantages
- inefficient (converts less than 20% into electrical energy)
- expensive to buy
- need to cover large areas to produce large quantities
- no solar energy at night, sometimes can be cloudy
Geothermal Energy advantages
- renewable (in some areas)
- possible to heat buildings directly
- no greenhouse gases or radioactive waste produced
- Can be used when national grid is uneconomic
Geothermal Energy disadvantages
- Requires hot rock/volcanoes, not wide spread
- high initialisation (start up) costs
- harmful gases can release due to drilling holes
- sometimes can run out of steam
Coal advantages
- reliable source during peak power demand
- abundant
- power plants are safe
Coal disadvantages
- non renewable
- greenhouse gases released (pollution, global warming)
- Sulfur dioxide-> acid rain
- Mining-> destruction of habitats + human displacement
Oil advantages
- high energy density
- small amount, produces lots oil energy
- available all over the world
- easily refined into petrol, diesel
- highly reliable
Oil disadvantages
-non renewable
- greenhouse gases released (pollution, global warming)
- Sulfur dioxide-> acid rain
- oil spills= mass pollution (bad for environment)
- money from oil drilling-> might go to terrorist organisations
Gas advantages
- short start up time (natural gas)
- impurities removes before use
Gas disadvantages
- non renewable
- greenhouse gases released (pollution, global warming)
- less harmful than oil or coal, easy preservation
- easy storage + transport
Nuclear advantages
- no greenhouse gas emissions
- much more energy can be generated per KG than for fossil fuels (more efficient)
Nuclear disadvantages
- fuel rods contain radioactive waste ( have to be stored safely for long time)
- usually safe, explosion could release waste of vast area (affecting for many years)
- long start up time
- cost of building + using power station is very high
Biomass advantages
- mostly no harmful CO2 emissions
- abundant + renewable (comes from living sources)
- taking waste that otherwise might be harmful to the environment + making it useful (reduces landfill)
Biomass disadvantages
- expensive
- inefficient, compared with fossil fuels
- releases methane gases during combustion (damages the ozone layer)
- smell given off attracts pests + bacteria
- lot of land required to burn, ruining animal habitats
