Earth Energy Resources and Human Activities - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to fossil fuels, renewables, and energy systems from the lecture notes.

Fossil fuels

Non-renewable energy resources formed from the remains of plants and animals; coal, oil, and natural gas; provide most energy for transportation, electricity, and industry, but are finite.

Coal

Primary fossil fuel formed from buried vegetation; burning releases air pollutants (SO2, NOx, mercury); mining can damage vegetation and topsoil; Philippines uses about 50% coal for energy.

Anthracite

Hard, brittle, black, lustrous coal; a high-grade type of coal.

Bituminous coal

Coal with a high heating value; commonly used for electricity generation.

Subbituminous coal

Coal with a higher heating value than lignite but lower than bituminous; intermediate grade.

Lignite

Least concentrated coal with the lowest carbon content.

Oil (crude oil)

Organic material (mostly algae) buried in mud; refined into fuel oil, gasoline, LPG, and nonfuel products like pesticides, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and plastics.

Natural gas

Naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas, mainly methane; the Earth's cleanest fossil fuel; odorless and colorless in its natural state but contributes to the greenhouse effect; formed under high pressure in sedimentary rocks; Malampaya field in the Philippines is a major source.

Non-renewable resource

Resources that are finite and not replenished quickly; fossil fuels are classic examples.

Nuclear power

Energy produced from nuclear fission heat used to boil water and drive a steam turbine to generate electricity; features a reactor core, containment structure, control rods, turbine, and generator.

Geothermal energy

Heat energy from the sub-surface of the Earth (down to magma) used to generate electricity; harnessed in geothermal power plants.

Solar energy

Radiant energy from the Sun; harnessed via technologies like solar panels, photovoltaics, solar heating, and solar thermal systems.

Hydroelectric energy

Energy from moving water (rivers, streams, tides) used to spin turbines and generate electricity; commonly involves dams, turbines, and generators.

Wind energy

Energy from wind converted into electricity by wind turbines; key components include rotor blades, nacelle, gear box, tower, and generator; notable farms include Bangui, Burgos, Caparispisan.

Biomass energy

Renewable energy from plant material, manure, and organic matter; decomposition can produce methane; ethanol and other liquids can be produced; burned to generate electricity; examples include wood, crops/residues, vegetable oils, animal fats, sewage, and trash.