ENERGY TYPES

Question 1

GEOTHERMAL (renewable)

Heat from Earth’s mantle

Answer 1

✔Clean
✔ Sustainable
✔ Predictable and stable

✘ Very technically complex
✘ Needs lots of land stability
✘ Very expensive

Question 2

WIND (renewable)

Wind blows into turbine

Answer 2

ONSHORE
✔ Easy to construct/maintain
✘ Unsightly and requires stable sites

OFFSHORE
✔ Generates more wind power
✘ Difficult to construct and maintain

ALL WIND
✔ No greenhouse gas emissions
✔ Generates when windy
✘ Can kill birds
✘ Not reliable
✘ Can’t be stored well

Question 3

HEP (Hydro Electric Power) (renewable)

Large power generators placed in dams, and water spins turbines

Answer 3

✔ Clean
✔ Less greenhouse gas emissions
✔ Low operation + maintenance costs
✔ Dams control river flow, so less floods

✘ High initial investment cost
✘ Dependence on river flow
✘ Land lost due to flooding
✘ Affects fish migration

Question 4

WAVE AND TIDAL (renewable)

Moving water generates electricity

Answer 4

✔ Cheap and clean electricity produced
✔ Efficient
✔ Futuristic

✘ Waves less reliable than tidal
✘ Unknown coastal impacts
✘ Needs big high-low tide difference

Question 5

SOLAR (renewable)

Sun’s energy converted to electricity

Answer 5

✔ Cost of operation low
✔ Low maintenance
✔ Used on different scales
✔ Clean and sustainable

✘ Expensive production
✘ Intermittent daylight
✘ Depends on climate
✘ Needs space/Unsightly

Question 6

BIOFUELS (renewable)

Liquid fuels produced from ethanol

Answer 6

✔ Less greenhosue gases produced
✔ Can be grown and used in countries without oil
✔ Sustainable
✔ Helps developing countries

✘ Not completely clean
✘ Need large quantities for efficacy
✘ Lots of deforestation for oil growth
✘ Lots of water needed

Question 7

COAL (non-renewable)

Fossil fuel extracted from crust, the burned to produce energy

Answer 7

✔ Can match demand easily
✔ Reliable

✘ Not clean
✘ Releases sulfur dioxide, causing acid rain
✘ Produces greenhouse gases
✘ Uses valuable resources

Question 8

OIL (non-renewable)

Crude oil extracted and burned

Answer 8

✔ Can shift for demand surges
✔ Reliable
✔ Easier to extract than coal
✔ Cheap transport

✘ Not clean, generates greenhouse emissions
✘ Not every country has it
✘ Damages air quality
✘ Ruins land

Question 9

NATURAL GAS (non-renewable)

Natural gas burned for energy)

Answer 9

✔ Easy transport
✔ Less pollution produced
✔ Used in rural countries for income

✘ Resources used
✘ Disadvantages of pollution