P3-Energy Resources

Question 1

Where does most of our energy come from?

Answer 1

From burning fossil fuels

Question 2

What are the fossil fuels?

Answer 2

Coal, oil and gas

Question 3

How does a fossil fuel power station work?

Answer 3

You burn the fuel in a furnace which heats the water in a boiler. This produces steam. The steam turns a turbine which turns an electricity generator which generates electricity. The energy is fed into a transformer and is then transmitted to the National Grid. After the steam passes through the turbine, it gets cooled down in a cooling tower and then is then recycled back into the boiler.

Question 4

How does a nuclear power station work?

Answer 4

Control rods with uranium or plutonium pellets inside the reactor vessel generate heat through nuclear fission, warming the water which the rods are submerged in. This heats up water in a separate system- the steam generator, producing steam that drives a turbine connected to a generator, generating electricity. The electricity is fed into a transformer and transmitted to the National Grid. The steam is then condensed back to water in the condenser and cycled back to the steam generator.

Question 5

What are biofuels?

Answer 5

fuels made from living organisms, or a by-product of the waste they produce.

Question 6

How are biofuels carbon neutral?

Answer 6

The carbon released when they are burnt is balanced by the carbon they absorbed as they grew

Question 7

What does carbon neutral mean?

Answer 7

having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon

Question 8

How is bio-ethanol made?

Answer 8

Fermantation which is the process of using yeast to convert sugars into ethanol

Question 9

What are the advantages of bio-ethanol? (give 2)

Answer 9

-it is quite cheap
-cars can be adapted to run on a mixture of ethanol and petrol
-it is carbon neutral
-it is renewable

Question 10

What are the disadvantages of bio-ethanol? (give 1)

Answer 10

-alot of farm land is used up to grow the crops
-it is not as energy-dense as gasoline

Question 11

How is bio-diesel made?

Answer 11

From vegetable oils or animal fats

Question 12

What are the advantages of biodiesel? (give 2)

Answer 12

-it is carbon neutral
-it is renewable
-it is less toxic than regular diesel

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of biodiesel? (give 1)

Answer 13

-we cannot create enough biodiesel to replace regular diesel
-it is expensive

Question 14

How is biogas made?

Answer 14

It is made when microorganisms digest waste which produces a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide

Question 15

What are the advantages of biogas? (give 2)

Answer 15

-waste is readily cheap and available
-it is carbon neutral
-it is renewable

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of biogas? (give 1)

Answer 16

-biogas production slows in cool weather
-it relies on a consistent supply of organic waste

Question 17

What is fermentation?

Answer 17

The process of using yeast to change sugar into ethanol

Question 18

Name 4 food crops which are used for making biofuels.

Answer 18

Sugarcane, rapeseed, soya, corn

Question 19

What fuel do nuclear power stations use?

Answer 19

Usually uranium or plutonium

Question 20

What are the advantages of nuclear energy? (give 2)

Answer 20

-it is fuel efficient
-it doesn’t produce any co2
-it creates a lot of jobs

Question 21

What are the disadvantages of nuclear energy? (give 1)

Answer 21

-accidents can be catastrophic
-it is hard to store nuclear waste as it remains radioactive and dangerous for thousands of years

Question 22

What are the advantages of fossil fuels? (give 2)

Answer 22

-it is cheap
-it is abundant
-they are reliable

Question 23

What are the disadvantages of fossil fuels? (give 1)

Answer 23

-they are nonrenewable
-they release large amounts of CO2

Question 24

How do wind turbines work?

Answer 24

The wind turns the blades which turns a turbine which drives a generator which generates electricity

Question 25

What are the advantages of wind power? (give 2)

Answer 25

-it is low maintenance after installation -low operating cost -renewable -a small breeze and push the blades

Question 26

What are the disadvantages of wind power? (give 1)

Answer 26

-Noise and visual pollution -it relies on the weather -long transmission lines are needed -land could be used for agriculture

Question 27

How does wave power work?

Answer 27

A wave generator uses the motion from the waves to make a generator move up and down which generates electricity

Question 28

What are the advantages of wave power? (give 2)

Answer 28

-renewable -no pollution -free energy resource -low maintenance cost

Question 29

What are the disadvantages of wave power? (give 1)

Answer 29

-high cost of setup -weather dependent -can distrupt sea life

Question 30

How does tidal power work?

Answer 30

Tides drive a turbine which spins a generator to generate electricity

Question 31

What are the advantages of tidal power? (give 2)

Answer 31

-low maintenance cost -renewable -Predictable energy generation

Question 32

What are the disadvantages of tidal power? (give 1)

Answer 32

-high cost of setup -can disrupt sea life -a limited number of suitable locations

Question 33

How does hydroelectric power work?

Answer 33

Water is collected in a reservoir. The gates open and water travels though the pipes. The water drives a turbine and the turbine spins a generator to generate electricity

Question 34

What are the advantages of hydroelectric power? (give 2)

Answer 34

-it can store energy -it is renewable -reduces the risk of flooding

Question 35

What are the disadvantages of hydroelectric power? (give 1)

Answer 35

-expensive upfront cost -the lake could of been a tourist attraction -it destroys habitats

Question 36

What is the energy store when the water is in the reservoir?

Answer 36

gravitational potential

Question 37

How do solar panels work?

Answer 37

When the solar cells are exposed to light, they absorb the energy from it and they convert it into electricity

Question 38

What are the advantages of solar panels? (give 2)

Answer 38

-low running costs -renewable -doesn't emit CO2

Question 39

What are the disadvantages of solar panels? (give 1)

Answer 39

-high upfront costs -unreliable: dependent on the weather -no way to increase supply in times of peak demand

Question 40

How is geothermal power made?

Answer 40

From thermal energy generated from radioactive decay and stored in the earth's crust

Question 41

How is geothermal power used for heat?

Answer 41

You pump water down into the ground, allow it to warm up and then pumping it up again to heat our homes

Question 42

How is geothermal power used for electricity?

Answer 42

We leave the water in the ground for so long that the water turns into steam. When the steam rises, the steam drives turbines which spins generators to make electricity.

Question 43

What are the advantages of geothermal power? (give 2)

Answer 43

-doesn't produce co2 -renewable -low maintenance

Question 44

What are the disadvantages of solar panels? (give 1)

Answer 44

-they rely on the weather -expensive upfront cost -they only convert less than 10% of the solar energy into electricity

Question 45

How do solar heating panels work?

Answer 45

The panel captures sunlight to directly heat water or air through tubes

Question 46

Give 2 pros and 2 cons of solar heating panels

Answer 46

Pros: -renewable -lowers bills by reducing heating costs Cons: -high upfront cost -weather dependant

Question 47

How do solar towers work?

Answer 47

Mirrors controlled by a computer reflect the sun's light at a tower with water to generate steam. This steam turns a turbine which spins a generator to generate electricity.

Question 48

How do solar towers store electricity?

Answer 48

The sunlight also heats up salt to high temperatures and it can be used to generate electricity in times of demand

Question 49

What are the mirrors for solar towers called?

Answer 49

Heliostats

Question 50

Give 2 pros and 2 cons of solar towers

Answer 50

Pros: -renewable -can store energy Cons: -high upfront cost -weather dependent

Question 51

What are the non renewable fuels? (Name 4)

Answer 51

-oil -gas -coal -nuclear

Question 52

What are the renewable fuels? (Name 7)

Answer 52

Biofuel Wind Hydroelectrical Geothermal Tidal Solar Wave

Question 53

What power station has the shortest start up time?

Answer 53

gas

Question 54

What power station has the longest start up time?

Answer 54

nuclear

Question 55

When might power stations with short start up times be used?

Answer 55

In high demand

Question 56

When might power stations with long start up times be used?

Answer 56

To create the baseline

Question 57

How can the variable demand be met? (Give 2 points)

Answer 57

-use high start up time resources to create the baseline and short start up resources in high demand -store energy using reservoirs and molten salt -promoting energy-efficient practices

Question 58

What activities require large energy transfers?

Answer 58

-transportation -cooking -heating

Question 59

Give a problem with burning gas

Answer 59

It produces particulates which contribute to global dimming and can cause lung damage

Question 60

Give a problem with burning oil

Answer 60

It produces sulphur dioxide which causes acid rain

Question 61

Give a problem with burning coal

Answer 61

It emits carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming

Question 62

How can you prevent carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere?

Answer 62

By using carbon capture storage technology

Question 63

What are renewable energy resouces?

Answer 63

Energy resources which has fuel that is always being replenished so it won't run out

Question 64

What are nonrenewable energy resources?

Answer 64

Energy resources which has fuel that cannot be replenished at the same rate that it is used so it will eventually run out