Fossil Fuels and Solar Energy

Question 1

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 1

Fossil fuels are naturally occurring organic fuels that have been formed over millions of years from the remains of dead animal and plants.

Question 2

What are the main fossil fuels?

Answer 2

The main fossil fuels are coal, petroleum (oil) and natural gas

Question 3

Why are fossil fuels important?

Answer 3

These are very important because we burn them to produce energy, thus we say that the energy is stored in fossil fuels.

Question 4

How is coal formed?

Answer 4

This if formed from plant remains that have been compressed for millions of years. These remains are compact and hard but filled with lots of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and Sulphur that are great sources of combusting materials.

Question 5

Why did they stop using coal?

Answer 5

Coal produced too much smoke and ash, which sometimes contains Sulphur dioxide. This Sulphur dioxide contributes to acid rain.

Question 6

How is petroleum formed?

Answer 6

Petroleum or crude oil is formed from the compression of tiny aquatic plants and animals under many layers of sand and sediments over millions of years. The decaying of these organisms under the pressure and heat created a dark sticky liquid that contains many hydrocarbons.

Question 7

How is petroleum obtained?

Answer 7

To obtain petroleum we have to drill into the earth, through oil wells.

Question 8

Why did we switch from coal to petroleum?

Answer 8

We switched from coal to petroleum because it was much more energy rich and we could extract other substances to create new materials like plastics and synthetic oils.

Question 9

What is natural gas?

Answer 9

This is a gaseous fossil fuel, mostly comprised of methane (CH4)

Question 10

Where is natural gas found?

Answer 10

It is usually found with crude oil because both are formed in a similar manner and under similar conditions

Question 11

Why is natural gas preferred over petroleum and coal?

Answer 11

Natural gas burns much cleaner than petroleum and coal and, which is why it is preferred

Question 12

What is natural gas usually used?

Answer 12

It is usually used for cooking.

Question 13

What is combustion?

Answer 13

This is the process of burning a substance.

Question 14

How can a substance undergo combustion?

Answer 14

For a substance to undergo combustion it must first be heated to a certain degree which is known as the ignition point.

Question 15

Complete combustion

Answer 15

Complete combustion gives off a non-luminous flame, these burn blue and give off more heat than light

Question 16

Uncomplete combustion

Answer 16

These burn with a more yellow color, giving off more light than heat.

Question 17

What is fractional distillation?

Answer 17

Fractional distillation is the process whereby the crude oil is heated in order to separate its various components.

Question 18

Explain the process of fractional distillation

Answer 18

The mixture of liquids, gases and solids in crude oil all have different boiling points. The boiling points cause the various components to vaporize and break away from the main mixture. The different components or fractions condense at different levels and are collected at the respective outlets

Question 19

What are the problems with the use of fossil fuels

Answer 19

The problems with the use of fossil fuels are it takes a very long time for them to form, in fact it takes millions of years.

Coal has been in use since ~400 BC, but all fossil fuels will eventually run out.

So it’s a dwindling supply, we must seek alternative sources of energy.

Question 20

Global warming

Answer 20

Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth’s climate system observed since the pre-industrial period due to human activities. Primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

Question 21

What is climate change?

Answer 21

Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates.

Question 22

What is Acid Rain?

Answer 22

Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms.

This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.  

Question 23

What is renewable energy?

Answer 23

Renewable energy is energy from sources that are naturally replenishing but flow limited.

Renewable resources are virtually inexhaustible in duration but limited in the amount of energy that is available per unit of time.

Question 24

The major types of renewable energy sources are:

Answer 24

Biomass
(Wood and wood waste

Municipal solid waste

Landfill gas and biogas

Ethanol

Biodiesel)

Hydropower

Geothermal

Wind

Solar

Question 25

Solar Energy

Answer 25

Energy from the sun The sun has produced energy for billions of years and is the ultimate source for all of the energy sources and fuels that we use today.

Question 26

We use solar thermal energy systems to heat:

Answer 26

Water for use in homes, buildings, or swimming pools The inside of homes, greenhouses, and other buildings Fluids to high temperatures in solar thermal power plants

Question 27

Solar energy has benefits

Answer 27

Solar energy systems do not produce air pollutants or carbon dioxide. Solar energy systems on buildings have minimal effects on the environment.

Question 28

Solar energy has limitations

Answer 28

The amount of sunlight that arrives at the earth's surface is not constant. The amount of sunlight varies depending on location, time of day, season of the year, and weather conditions. The amount of sunlight reaching a square foot of the earth's surface is relatively small, so a large surface area is necessary to absorb or collect a useful amount of energy.