Energy Resources

Flashcards about Energy Resources based on lecture notes.

What are the two main types of energy resources?

Renewable and Non-renewable.

Define Non-renewable energy resources.

Energy resources that will eventually run out and cannot be used again once depleted.

Define Renewable energy resources.

Energy resources that will never run out, or can be regenerated.

Give examples of Non-renewable energy resources.

Fossil fuels and Nuclear power.

What are fossil fuels formed from?

The remains of animals and plants over millions of years.

Name the three main types of fossil fuels.

Coal, Oil, and Gas.

Describe the coal formation process.

Trees died and fell to the bottom of swamps, were covered by mud and rock, and over millions of years, due to high temperatures and pressures, the trees became fossilized, forming coal.

Describe the oil and natural gas formation process.

Plankton died and fell to the bottom of seas and oceans, were covered by mud and rock, and over millions of years, due to high temperatures and pressures, the plankton became oil and natural gas.

What is the main function of fossil fuel power stations?

To convert chemical energy into electrical energy.

How do fossil fuel power stations generate electricity?

By burning oil or coal to boil water and create high-pressure steam which turns a turbine connected to a generator or by burning gas to produce hot gasses which directly turn the turbine.