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Energy Sources & Their Uses

1. Main Energy Source in Less Developed Countries
   
   

   • Biomass (wood, charcoal, dung) is the primary energy source.

   • Often used for cooking and heating.

2. Biomass vs. Fossil Fuels
   
   

   • Advantages: Renewable, reduces waste, locally available.

   • Disadvantages: Deforestation, air pollution, less energy-dense than fossil fuels.

Energy Calculations & Graph Interpretation

3. Percent of a Total Calculation
   
   

   • Formula: (Part/Total)×100(\text{Part} / \text{Total}) \times 100(Part/Total)×100

4. Interpreting Positive Correlation on a Graph
   
   

   • A positive correlation means as one variable increases, the other also increases.

5. Percent Increase Calculation
   
   

   • Formula: ((New Value−Old Value)/Old Value)×100((\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}) / \text{Old Value}) \times 100((New Value−Old Value)/Old Value)×100

Nuclear Power

6. Most Likely Malfunction in a Nuclear Power Plant
   
   

   • Cooling system failure, which can lead to overheating and meltdown.

7. General Process of Electrical Generation in a Nuclear Power Plant
   
   

   • Nuclear fission → Heat → Boils water → Steam spins turbine → Generator produces electricity.

Fossil Fuels & Alternative Energy

8. Peat Formation
   
   

   • Partially decomposed plant material accumulates in wetlands → Peat (early stage of coal formation).

9. Cogeneration
   
   

   • Using waste heat from electricity generation to heat buildings or produce more power.

   • Example: A factory using its waste heat for electricity.

10. Biofuels (Advantages & Disadvantages)
    
    

    • Advantages: Renewable, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    • Disadvantages: Can compete with food production, land use issues.

11. Nuclear Energy (Advantages & Disadvantages)
    
    

    • Advantages: No CO₂ emissions, high energy output.

    • Disadvantages: Radioactive waste, risk of meltdowns.

12. Solar Energy (Advantages & Disadvantages)
    
    

    • Advantages: Renewable, no emissions, low operating costs.

    • Disadvantages: Expensive to install, intermittent energy production.

Hydroelectric Power & Dams

13. Economic Benefits of Dams
    
    

    • Provides electricity, controls flooding, supports irrigation, tourism.

14. Coal Power Plant vs. Nuclear Power Plant Identification
    
    

    • Coal: Releases CO₂, sulfur dioxide, ash.

    • Nuclear: Releases radioactive waste, requires cooling towers.

Renewable & Nonrenewable Energy

15. Classification of Energy Sources
    
    

    • Renewable: Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass.

    • Nonrenewable: Coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear.

16. Collection of Renewable Energy Sources
    
    

    • Solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, geothermal plants.

Fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing)

17. What is Fracking?
    
    

    • Injecting water, sand, and chemicals into rock layers to extract natural gas or oil.

18. Advantages & Disadvantages of Fracking
    
    

    • Advantages: Increases domestic energy supply, lowers fuel costs.

    • Disadvantages: Contaminates groundwater, causes earthquakes.

19. Three Main Sources of Commercial Energy
    
    

    • Oil, coal, natural gas (fossil fuels dominate global energy use).

Hydropower & Passive Solar Energy

20. Advantages & Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Power
    
    

    • Advantages: Renewable, low emissions, controls flooding.

    • Disadvantages: Disrupts ecosystems, expensive to build.

21. Passive Solar Heating & Benefits
    
    

    • Using building design (windows, materials) to absorb and store heat.

    • Benefits: Reduces energy use, lowers heating costs.

Oil & Natural Gas

22. Why Oil Consumption Doubled (1960-1970)
    
    

    • Increased industrialization, car ownership, economic growth.

23. Cooling Towers in Power Plants
    
    

    • Release water vapor (not pollution) to regulate heat.

24. Comparing Coal vs. Nuclear Power Plants
    
    

    • Coal: Emits CO₂, sulfur dioxide, ash.

    • Nuclear: Produces radioactive waste but no CO₂.

25. Nuclear Fission vs. Fusion
    
    

    • Fission: Splitting atoms (used in power plants).

    • Fusion: Combining atoms (not yet commercially viable).

26. Natural Gas vs. Oil
    
    

    • Natural Gas: Burns cleaner, produces less CO₂.

Geothermal Energy & Coal Formation

27. Advantages & Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy
    
    

    • Advantages: Renewable, low emissions, efficient.

    • Disadvantages: Location-dependent, expensive drilling.

28. Stages of Coal Formation
    
    

    • Peat → Lignite → Bituminous → Anthracite (most energy-dense).

Environmental Issues & Conservation

29. Green Revolution Effects
    
    

    • Increased food production but led to soil degradation, pesticide use.

30. MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield)
    
    

    • The largest amount of a resource (fish, trees) that can be harvested without depleting it.

31. Legislation Addressing Overfishing
    
    

    • Magnuson-Stevens Act (US), international agreements.

32. Impervious Surface Meaning
    
    

    • Surfaces (concrete, asphalt) that do not absorb water → Increases runoff, flooding.

33. Causes of Algal Blooms
    
    

    • Excess nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) from fertilizers, sewage.

34. What is an Aquifer?
    
    

    • Underground water storage in porous rock.

35. Mountaintop Removal Mining
    
    

    • Removing entire mountaintops to access coal → Causes deforestation, water pollution.

36. Ways to Encourage Sustainable Forest Use
    
    

    • Selective logging, reforestation, reducing paper waste