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pros of dams
1. can generate large amounts of energy with no pollution
2. reliable sources of electrcity
3. hydroelectric dams in particular provide an immediate response to the increased demand of electricity
4. running costs are low
5. can work on both large and small scales
cons of dams
1. can have big impacts on surrounding environments such as flooding villages and important habitats
2. stops boats and fish from travelling up or down the river which can negatively affect fish migrations
3. setting up is expensive
How can wind power be captured
Using wind turbines
Where are wind turbines usually found
Exposed places like coasts and countrysides that have strong winds
How do wind turbines work to generate electricity
Each blade has a generator, everytime a blade turns due to wind, kinetic energy is converted to electrical energy which can then be transported through the national grid. The spinning action turns the generator which produces electricity
How is solar power generated
Generated by solar cells often in the form of solar panels
Where are solar panels used
Watches, calculators and remoteplaces that aren't connected to the main power bridge
Pros of wind and solar
Low running costs
Don't produce any pollutants so don't damage the environment
Cons of wind and solar
High upfront costs
Making them produces pollutants
Dependent on weather
No way to increase supply in times of peak demand
Take up lots of space
Not aesthetically pleasing
Need lots of them to generate electricity
what is a fossil fuel
a hydrocarbon containing material formed naturally in the earth’s crust from the remains of dead plants and animals, formed under intense pressure and heat
what are uses of fossil fuels
burned to provide heat for different use eg. cooking
to power engines (eg. internal combustion in car engines)
to generate electricity
3 pros of fossil fuel
cheap
can be used in any conditions doesn’t need special weather conditions to work
most of our current infrastructure is designed to run on fossil fuels
3 cons of fossil fuels
limited resource so will run out one day / finite
produce CO2 when burned which is a GHG and so contributes to global warming
produce toxic gases when burned eg. sulfur dioxide
how is nuclear energy obtained
obtained via nuclear reactions such as fission reactions in nuclear power stations
what can nuclear energy be used for
to generate electricity, which can then be transmitted to homes and factories across the country
pros of nuclear energy
don’t produce any pollutants like CO2
can be used in any conditions so not dependent on weather
very unlikely to run out for a long time
cons of nuclear energy
expensive
produces radioactive waste which remains harmful for thousands of years, so must be stored carefully
in the small chance of a nuclear meltdown it could release large amounts of radiation into the environment
technically a finite resource ( won’t run out for a long time though)
what is a renewable energy resource
resources that can be replenished quickly ( within a human lifetime) and so don’t get used up
what is a non - renewable energy resource
resources that aren’t replenished so are in a limited supply
what is the energy used for in the UK
transport
industry
domestic uses such as cooking
electricity isn’t strictly ——- or —- ——— it depends on how it’s made
renewable or non renewable
what is geothermal power
thermal energy generated and stored in the earth's crust (from radioactive decay), also heats up hot springs around the world
how is geothermal power used to generate heat
involves pumping water down into the ground, allowing it to heat up then pumping it back up to the surface to heat our homes
how is geothermal power used to generate electricity
we leave the water underground until it heats up so much that it's converted to steam, as the steam rises, the gas turns turbines which drives the generators to produce electricity
pros of geothermal power
1. installing the plant only damages the environment very slightly
2. while running doesn't produce any pollutants
3. renewable resource
cons of geothermal power
1. can only be used in specific regions such as volcanic regions
2. the power plants required can be expensive to build
