Sources and Forms of Energy

Vocabulary flashcards covering energy definitions, non-renewable and renewable energy sources, potential energy categories, and energy measurement units.

Energy

The ability to do work; the power that makes things move, makes things work, and makes living things stay alive and grow.

Potential Energy

Stored energy in an object or system that is waiting to be used or released.

Kinetic Energy

Energy associated with movement.

Non-Renewable Energy Sources

Energy sources that cannot be replaced once they have been used.

Renewable Energy Sources

Sustainable energy sources that are naturally restored after use and cause less or no atmospheric pollution.

Oil

A liquid version of coal transported in huge oil tankers, used to produce petrol for cars, fuel for planes, and plastics.

Coal

A hard, thick substance made of Carbon that is burned to produce most of the electricity in SA.

Natural Gas

A fuel made mostly of methane that is highly flammable, often found in natural wells or trapped inside shale rock.

Fracking

A method of releasing natural gas from rock by pumping water, sand, and chemicals into shale rock at high pressure to crack it open.

Koeberg Power Station

A power station located near Cape Town that generates electricity using nuclear energy.

Nuclear Energy

Energy generated from a Uranium reaction releasing heat that produces no greenhouse gases, though it produces harmful radioactive waste.

Hydropower

Electricity produced using water stored behind dam walls that flows to turn big turbines.

Wind Power

Electricity produced by generators connected to huge wind turbines that use wind from any direction.

Solar Energy

Energy collected from the Sun using photovoltaic cells in solar panels and converted into energy.

Biofuels

Fuels created by fermenting certain plants, such as sugar cane, sunflowers, and corn, into ethanol.

Elastic Potential Energy

Potential energy stored in an elastic material when it is stretched or compressed.

Gravitational Potential Energy

Potential energy possessed by an object lifted off the ground due to the attraction of gravity towards Earth's centre.

Chemical Potential Energy

Energy stored in the particles of particular substances (such as wood, food, petrol, or torch cells) that is released during a chemical reaction.

Joule

A very small unit of measure for energy, represented by the symbol $\text{J}$.

Kilojoule

A unit of energy measurement equal to $1000\,\text{J}$ ($1\,\text{kJ} = 1000\,\text{J}$), commonly used on food labels.