Energy from Renewable Resources I (E2R I)

Flashcards about Energy from Renewable Resources I (E2R I)

What is the primary challenge discussed regarding our planet's environment?

Over the past 2 centuries, we have been changing our planet’s environment at a pace unknown in Earth’s natural history.

What do measurements of atmospheric CO2 from Mauna Loa Observatory and the South Pole indicate?

A steady annual increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration.

What are the primary energy sources affecting the planetary energy balance?

Sun, Planetary gravitational attraction, Geothermal, and Uranium.

List the classifications of energy consumption.

Industry, Home and commerce, Agriculture, Transportation, Wild life – wild plants and animals

In Physics, what is energy?

The quantitative property that must be transferred to an object in order to perform work on, or to heat, the object.

Name some forms that energy may exist in.

Potential, kinetic, thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, or other various forms.

What do heat and work represent?

Energy in the process of transfer from one body to another.

What is the SI unit for energy and what is it equal to?

Joule (J), equal to the work done by a one-Newton force acting over a one-meter distance.

What is the SI unit for power?

Watt, which is a Joule per second.

What is a common misconception about renewable energy?

That energy can be created, when in reality energy can only be changed from one form to another (conservation of energy).

According to the International Energy Agency, what is renewable energy?

Energy that is derived from natural processes (e.g. sunlight and wind) that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed.

List some resources that can be considered renewable energy.

Sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.

How did the steam engine impact energy consumption in human history?

It allowed man to unlock the Earth's vast concentrated storage deposits of solar energy (coal, gas, and oil) so he was no longer limited to natural energy flows.