Energy Resources Flashcards
Energy Resources
Non-Renewable Energy Resources
- Definition: Resources that are not replaced as quickly as they are used and will eventually run out.
- Examples: Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and nuclear fission.
Coal
- Main Uses: Generating electricity.
- Source: Extracted from underground.
- Advantages:
- Enough available to meet current energy demands.
- Reliable – supply can be controlled to meet demand.
- Relatively cheap to extract and use.
- Disadvantages:
- Will eventually run out.
- Releases carbon dioxide (CO_2) when burned, contributing to climate change.
- Releases other polluting gases, such as sulfur dioxide (SO_2), which causes acid rain.
Oil
- Main Uses: Generating electricity, transport, and heating.
- Source: Mining
- Disadvantages: Oil spills in the oceans kill marine life.
Natural Gas
- Main Uses: Generating electricity and heating.
- Source: Mining
Nuclear Fission
- Main Uses: Generating electricity.
- Source: Mining naturally occurring elements, such as uranium and plutonium.
- Advantages:
- No polluting gases or greenhouse gases produced.
- Enough available to meet current energy demands.
- Large amount of energy transferred from a very small mass of fuel.
- Reliable – supply can be controlled to meet demand.
- Disadvantages:
- Produces nuclear waste, which is dangerous, difficult, and expensive to dispose of, and stored for centuries before it is safe to dispose of.
- Nuclear power plants are expensive to build, run, and decommission (shut down).
Renewable Energy Resources
- Definition: Resources that can be replaced at the same rate as they are used and will not run out.
- Examples: Solar, tidal, wave, wind, geothermal, biofuel, and hydroelectric energies.
Solar Energy
- Main Uses: Generating electricity and heating.
- Source: Sunlight transfers energy to solar cells/solar heating panels.
- Advantages:
- Can be used in remote places.
- Very cheap to run once installed.
- No pollution/greenhouse gases produced.
- Disadvantages:
- Supply depends on weather.
- Expensive to buy and install.
- Cannot supply large-scale demand.
Hydroelectric Energy
- Main Uses: Generating electricity.
- Source: Water flowing downhill turns generators.
- Advantages:
- Low running cost.
- No fuel costs.
- Reliable, and the supply can be controlled to meet demand.
- Disadvantages:
- Expensive to build.
- Hydroelectric dams flood a large area behind the dam, destroying habitats and resulting in greenhouse gas production from rotting vegetation.
Tidal Energy
- Main Uses: Generating electricity.
- Source: Turbines on tidal barrages turned by water as the tide comes in and out.
- Advantages:
- Predictable supply, as there are always tides.
- Can produce large amounts of electricity.
- No fuel costs.
- No pollution/greenhouse gases produced.
- Disadvantages:
- Tidal barrages change marine habitats and can harm animals.
- Restrict access and can be dangerous for boats.
- Expensive to build and maintain.
- Cannot control supply and supply varies depending on the time of the month.
Wave Energy
- Main Uses: Generating electricity.
- Source: Floating generators powered by waves moving up and down.
- Advantages:
- Low running cost.
- No fuel costs.
- No pollution/greenhouse gases produced.
- Disadvantages:
- Floating generators change marine habitats and can harm animals.
- Restrict access and can be dangerous for boats.
- Expensive to build, install, and maintain.
- Dependent on weather.
- Cannot supply large-scale demand.
Wind Energy
- Main Uses: Generating electricity.
- Source: Turbines turned by the wind.
- Advantages:
- Low running cost.
- No fuel costs.
- No pollution/greenhouse gases produced.
- Disadvantages:
- Supply depends on weather.
- Large amounts of land are needed to generate enough electricity for large-scale demand.
- Can produce noise pollution for nearby residents.
Geothermal Energy
- Main Uses: Generating electricity and heating.
- Source: Radioactive substances deep within the Earth transfer heat energy to the surface.
- Advantages:
- Low running cost.
- No fuel costs.
- No pollution/greenhouse gases produced.
- Disadvantages:
- Expensive to set up.
- Only possible in a few suitable locations around the world.
Biofuels
- Main Uses: Generating electricity and transport fuel.
- Source: Produced from living or recently living organisms, for example, plants and animal waste.
- Advantages:
- Can be carbon neutral – the amount of carbon dioxide released when the fuel is burned is equal to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed when the fuel is grown.
- Reliable, and the supply can be controlled to meet demand.
- Disadvantages:
- Expensive to produce.
- Growing biofuels requires a lot of land and water that could be used for food production.
- Can lead to deforestation – forests are cleared for growing biofuel crops.
Key Terms
- Biofuel: Fuel produced from living or recently living organisms.
- Carbon Neutral: The amount of carbon dioxide released when the fuel is burnt is equal to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed when the fuel is grown.
- Environmental Impact: The effect that human activities have on the environment.
- Fossil Fuel: A fuel formed from the remains of dead organisms over millions of years.
- Geothermal: Heat energy from the Earth's interior.
- Hydroelectric: Electricity generated by moving water.
- Non-Renewable: A resource that cannot be replaced at the same rate as it is used.
- Reliability: The ability of an energy resource to provide a consistent and dependable supply of energy.
- Renewable: A resource that can be replaced at the same rate as it is used.
Main Uses of Earth's Energy Resources
- Generating electricity.
- Heating.
- Transport.
Reliability and Environmental Impact
- Reliable energy resources are available all the time (or at predictable times) and in sufficient quantities.
- Both renewable and non-renewable energy resources have some kind of environmental impact when we use them.
P3 Questions and Answers
- What is a non-renewable energy resource?
- Answer: Will eventually run out, is not replaced at the same rate it is being used.
- What is a renewable energy resource?
- Answer: Will not run out, it is being (or can be) replaced at the same rate as which it is used.
- What are the main renewable and non-renewable resources available on Earth?
- Answer: Renewable: solar, tidal, wave, wind, geothermal, biofuel, hydroelectric. Non-renewable: coal, oil, gas, nuclear.
- What are the main advantages of using coal as an energy resource?
- Answer: Enough available to meet current demand, reliable, can control supply to match demand, cheap to extract and use.
- What are the main disadvantages of using coal as an energy resource?
- Answer: Will eventually run out, releases CO_2 which contributes to climate change, releases sulfur dioxide which causes acid rain.
- What are the main advantages of using nuclear fuel as an energy resource?
- Answer: Lot of energy released from a small mass, reliable, can control supply to match demand, enough fuel available to meet current demand, no polluting gases.
- What are the main disadvantages of using nuclear fuel as an energy resource?
- Answer: Waste is dangerous and difficult and expensive to deal with, expensive initial set up, expensive to shut down and to run.
- What are the main advantages of using solar energy?
- Answer: Can be used in remote places, no polluting gases, no waste products, very low running cost.
- What are the main disadvantages of using solar energy?
- Answer: Unreliable, cannot control supply, initial set up expensive, cannot be used on a large scale.
- What are the main advantages of using tidal power?
- Answer: No polluting gases, no waste products, reliable, can produce large amounts of electricity, low running cost, no fuel costs.
- What are the main disadvantages of using tidal power?
- Answer: Can harm marine habitats, initial set up expensive, cannot increase supply when needed, amount of energy varies on time of month, hazard for boats.
- What are the main advantages of using wave turbines?
- Answer: No polluting gases produced, no waste products, low running cost, no fuel costs.
- What are the main disadvantages of using wave turbines?
- Answer: Unreliable, dependent on weather, cannot control supply, initial set up expensive, can harm marine habitats, hazard for boats, cannot be used on a large scale.
- What are the main disadvantages of using wind turbines?
- Answer: Unreliable, dependent on weather, cannot control supply, take up lot of space, can produce noise pollution.
- What are the advantages and the disadvantages of using geothermal energy?
- Answer: Advantages: no polluting gases, low running cost. Disadvantages: initial set up expensive, available in few locations.
- What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using biofuels?
- Answer: Advantages: can be ‘carbon neutral’, reliable. Disadvantages: expensive to produce, use land/water that might be needed to grow food.
- What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using hydroelectric power?
- Answer: Advantages: no polluting gases, no waste products, low running cost, no fuel cost, reliable, can be controlled to meet demand. Disadvantages: initial set up expensive, dams can harm/destroy marine habitats.
