Renewable vs Non-Renewable Energy Resources

These flashcards cover key concepts related to renewable and non-renewable energy resources, their definitions, and related topics for studying.

Renewable Energy Resources

Energy sources that can be replenished naturally, at or near the rate of consumption.

Depletable Renewables

Renewable resources that can run out if overused, e.g., biomass like wood or ethanol.

Nondepletable Renewables

Renewable resources that do not run out if overused or over-relied on, e.g., solar, wind.

Non-Renewable Energy Resources

Energy resources that exist in fixed amounts and cannot be replaced easily, such as fossil fuels.

Fossil Fuels

Energy sources from the remains of ancient biomass, taking millions of years to form, including coal, oil, and natural gas.

Nuclear Energy

Energy generated from uranium or other radioactive fuels.

Renewability

The ability of a resource to be replenished at or below the rate of consumption.

Energy Consumption

The total energy used by an individual or group, factoring in various energy sources.

Energy Efficiency

The ratio of the amount of energy expended in the desired form to the total energy introduced to the system.

Energy Conservation

Finding ways to use less energy.

Half-Life

The time required for half of a radioactive substance to decay.

Giga (G)

A metric prefix for a factor of 10^9.

Mega (M)

A metric prefix for a factor of 10^6.

Kilo (k)

A metric prefix for a factor of 10^3.

MWh

Megawatt-hour, a unit of energy equivalent to one megawatt of power used for one hour.

British thermal unit (Btu)

A unit of heat energy.

Fracking

A method of extracting gas and oil from underground formations.

Electrical Demand

The amount of electricity required by consumers.

Biomass

Organic material used as a renewable energy source.

Hydroelectric

Electricity produced by using the energy of flowing water.

Geothermal Energy

Energy derived from the internal heat of the earth.