Hydropower

e

Energy

Study Guide

Ecologist KEY

Section Date

READING GUIDE DIRECTIONS: Use this reading guide to help you study and review Ch 18. The numbers

before the question refer to the section. Check out the Study Guide on pg. 576!

UNIT ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: Today’s decisions define our future environment.

Chapter 18 Big Question: What are the potential uses and limitations of renewable energy sources?

Page

4

/

4

Why do we need alternative energy resources?

REPLACE FOSSIL FUELS REDUCE AIR POLLUTION REDUCE EMISSION OF

GREENHOUSE GASES

18-1/Q2. What are some benefits of renewable energy resources? (These answers are different than Q1)

UNLIKELY TO RUN OUT LESS DEPENDENT ON OTHER

NATIONS FOR FUEL

CREATE JOBS

18-1/Q3. Give 3 examples of biomass energy sources

WOOD MANURE GRAIN

18-1/Q4. What are 3 ways biomass energy can be used?

HEATING COOKING LIGHTING

18-1/Q5. What is a biofuel? ____LIQUID BIOMASS FUEL__________________

Ethanol is produced from _____FERMENTING STARCHES OR SUGARS ______________________

Biodiesel is produced from _____VEGETABLE OIL, SUCH AS SOYBEAN OIL_________

18-1/Q6. What is biopower? ____BURNING BIOMASS TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY___

What are its common fuels? _____INDUSTRIAL WASTE PRODUCTS; SOMETIMES CROPS ARE

GROWN SPECIFICALLY AS BIOFUELS ______

18-1/Q7. What are the pros and cons of Biomass Energy?

Pros/Benefits:

1 RELEASES NO NET CARBON INTO AIR

2 FOUND WORLDWIDE

3 REDUCE A NATION’S DEPENDENCE ON

IMPORTED FUEL

Cons/Costs:

1 TAKE UP LAND THAT COULD FEED PEOPLE

2 DEFORESTATION, SOIL EROSION,

DESERTIFICATION

3 NOT RENEWABLE IF USED TOO QUICKLY

4 CAN CAUSE INDOOR AIR POLLUTION

18-1/Q8. How is geothermal energy formed? __HIGH PRESSURE AND BREAKDOWN OF RADIOACTIVE

ELEMENTS DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH HEATS ROCKS OR WATER BELOW EARTH’S SURFACE._____

18-1/Q9. Geothermal energy can produce electricity directly when _____STEAM FROM GEYSERS AT THE

SURFACE SUPPLY ENERGY______________

usually, however, deep _____WELLS_____ are drilled to get to ____HEATED ROCKS AND WATER____

____________________________________________. Either way, the ___STEAM___ from geothermal

heat is used to spin ___TURBINES____ that run ____GENERATORS____.

18-1/Q10. If you want to heat or cool your house with geothermal energy, you would use a ___________

GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP__ which takes advantage of the fact that

THERE IS A STEADY UNDERGROUND TEMPERATURE.

18-1/Q11. In the winter, the ground is ____WARMER___ than the air, so the heat pump ___WARMS____

the house. In the summer, the ground is ___COOLER____than the air, so the heat pump COOLS_____

the house.

18-1/Q12. What are the pros and cons of geothermal energy?

Pros/Benefits:

1 POLLUTES LESS THAN FOSSIL FUELS

2 LESS GREENHOUSE GASES

3 CAN REPLACE FOSSIL FUELS

Cons/Costs:

1 CAN USE HEATED WATER FASTER THAN REPLACED

2 CHEMICALS IN STEAM DAMAGE EQUIPMENT

3 MAY CAUSE EARTHQUAKES

4 NEED GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY – ONLY FOR POWER PLANT

18-2—HYDROPOWER AND OCEAN ENERGY

GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WATER BE USED TO ADDRESS ENERGY NEEDS?

18-2/Q1. In the 1820, hydropower was used to help manufacture ____CLOTH_______.

18-2/Q2. Moving water has ____KINETIC_____ energy.

18-2/Q3. Why does a hydroelectric plant need a reservoir? _To increase the potential energy and store

water__.

18-2/Q4. If hydropower is generated using natural flow of water to spin turbines, it is called the

________RUN-OF-THE-RIVER APPROACH___________.

18-2/Q5. Why is the use of hydropower in the United States already maxed out? ____ALL SUITABLE DAM

SITES HAVE BEEN USED_____.

18-2/Q6. Describe the pros and cons of hydropower.

Pros/Benefits:

ALSO MAY

CONTROL FLOODS

1 RENEWABLE

2 NO AIR POLLUTION

3 NO GREENHOUSE GASES

4 RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE

Cons/Costs:

1 DRASTICALLY CHANGES ECOSYSTEMS

2 DAMAGES LANDSCAPE

3 CAN CAUSE EROSION

4 PREVENT SEDIMENTS AND NUTRIENTS FROM

GETTING DOWNSTREAM

18-2/Q7. What is tidal energy? ___USING MOVEMENT OF TIDAL WATER TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY __.

Describe the location that is best suited for tidal energy. Why is this ideal? ____________________

_____WORKS BEST IN LONG, NARROW BAYS. _______.

______LARGE DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHT BETWEEN HIGH & LOW TIDE MEANS LOTS OF WATER

MOVES IN AND OUT TO SPIN TURBINES. FEW LOCATIONS HAVE THIS PROPERTY.______.

18-2/Q8. OTEC stands for _____OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION___

It is a new technology that converts THERMAL_energy in the _____OCEAN_______ into

electricity.

18-3 – SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY

GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE RELY ON THE SUN AND WIND FOR POWER?

You might want to watch this 4 minute TED Talk on how 14-year old William Kamkwamba built his

windmill; or this inspiring 6 minute TED talk that he made 2 years later that explains why he harnessed

the wind. [TED talks are really cool – you might enjoy exploring the site!]

18-3/Q1. What is the difference between passive solar heating and active solar heating?

____ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING USING TECHNOLOGY TO COLLECT, MOVE AND STORE HEAT FROM THE

SUN. PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING INVOLVES DESIGNING A BUILDING TO DO THIS NATURALLY.________

18-3/Q2. In a photovoltaic cell, solar energy is converted directly into ELECTRICITY_

because ___THE FLOW OF ELECTRONS FROM ONE PLATE TO ANOTHER CREATES AN ELECTRIC

CURRENT__.

Name something you might own that has a PV cell: WATCH, CALCULATOR_

18-3/Q3 What does CSP stand for? ____CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER______

Usually, this form of solar energy uses _____MIRRORS____ to ______FOCUS___

sunlight in order to generate________ELECTRICITY__________.

18-3/Q4. What are some pros and cons of solar power?

Pros/Benefits:

ALSO CAN BE USED

IN ISOLATED AREAS

1 USES NO FUEL

2 QUIET AND SAFE

3 NO GREENHOUSE GASES

NO AIR OR WATER POLLUTION

LITTLE EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE NEEDED

Cons/Costs:

1 NEEDS SUNLIGHT!

2 MOST EXPENSIVE WAY TO GENERATE

ELECTRICITY

3 NEEDS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT

18-3/Q5. Why is wind an indirect form of solar power?

_______WIND IS CAUSED BY THE UNEVEN HEATING OF AIR MASSES BY THE SUN________________

18-3/Q6. Recall the 5 main steps involved with the generation of electricity. Which step is eliminated with

a wind turbine? _____NO NEED TO BURN FUEL TO MAKE STEAM; WIND TURNS THE TURBINE__________

18-3/Q7. What are three ways wind energy has been used historically?

GRIND GRAIN PUMP WATER TO DRAIN WETLANDS IRRIGATE CROPS

18-3/Q8. Why is it advantageous to build wind turbines offshore? _____WIND SPEEDS ARE

GREATER________

18-3/Q9. What are some pros and cons of wind power?

Pros/Benefits:

1 NO POLLUTION

2 EFFICIENT UNDER BEST CONDITIONS

3 CAN BE SMALL OR LARGE SCALE

Cons/Costs:

1 IT ISN’T ALWAYS WINDY, NOR IS THERE ENOUGH

WIND EVERYWHERE

2 OFTEN WINDIEST FAR FROM WHERE ELECTRICITY

IS NEEDED

3 NOISY; PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO SEE WIND

TURBINES

18-4 ENERGY FROM HYDROGEN

GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE USE HYDROGEN AS A SOURCE OF ENERGY?

18-4/Q1. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the ___UNIVERSE_______ but the hydrogen gas

used for hydrogen fuel is RARE_____ on Earth.

Why is hydrogen rare on Earth? HYDROGEN COMBINES WITH OTHER ELEMENTS_

18-4/Q2. What is the key to hydrogen fuel’s potential? ____IT IS PORTABLE – EASY TO MOVE FROM ONE

PLACE TO ANOTHER __

18-4/Q3. The first step to using hydrogen as a fuel is to obtain elemental hydrogen—that is, hydrogen

that is not bonded with any other elements. Electrolysis can do this. Describe the process of electrolysis.

______WATER IS BROKEN DOWN INTO OXYGEN GAS (O 2 ) AND HYDROGEN GAS (H 2 ) BY AN ELECTRIC

CURRENT THAT RUNS THROUGH THE WATER._____

18-4/Q4. What is the more common technique for obtaining hydrogen? ____BREAK DOWN OF

METHANE__

What is a drawback to this method? ___PRODUCES GREENHOUSE GAS (CO 2 )__

What are two other methods being investigated to obtain elemental hydrogen?

USING HEAT FROM NUCLEAR REACTORS TO SPLIT

WATER

USING ALGAE TO PRODUCE H 2

18-4/Q5. Describe some costs and benefits of using hydrogen as an energy source

Pros/Benefits:

1 WILL NEVER RUN OUT

2 WATER AND HEAT ARE ONLY WASTE PRODUCTS

3 CAN BE STORED AND TRANSPORTED EASILY

4 NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN GASOLINE

Cons/Costs:

1 EXPENSIVE TO MAKE H 2

2 NEEDS TO BE COMPRESSED

18-4/Q6. Hydrogen gas can also be used to produce electricity within __FUEL_ CELLS_.

18-4/Q7. In a fuel cell, hydrogen gas (H 2 ) is ionized. This means it splits into 2 hydrogen atoms (H + ). The

hydrogen ions flow through the fuel cell and two things happen:

1. AN ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOWS ACROSS THE FUEL CELL

2. OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN COMBINE TO MAKE WATER

18-4/Q8. It is hoped that fuel cells will be a better source of power for TRANSPORTATION_.

Page 1 of 4YWYT Ch 18 RenewableEnergyStudy GuideEcologist KEYSection DateREADING GUIDE DIRECTIONS: Use this reading guide to help you study and review Ch 18. The numbersbefore the question refer to the section. Check out the Study Guide on pg. 576!UNIT ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: Today’s decisions define our future environment.Chapter 18 Big Question: What are the potential uses and limitations of renewable energy sources?18-1 –BIOMASS AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGYGUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE USE BIOMASS ENERGY AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?18-1/Q1. Why do we need alternative energy resources?REPLACE FOSSIL FUELS REDUCE AIR POLLUTION REDUCE EMISSION OFGREENHOUSE GASES18-1/Q2. What are some benefits of renewable energy resources? (These answers are different than Q1)UNLIKELY TO RUN OUT LESS DEPENDENT ON OTHERNATIONS FOR FUELCREATE JOBS18-1/Q3. Give 3 examples of biomass energy sourcesWOOD MANURE GRAIN18-1/Q4. What are 3 ways biomass energy can be used?HEATING COOKING LIGHTING18-1/Q5. What is a biofuel? ____LIQUID BIOMASS FUEL__________________Ethanol is produced from _____FERMENTING STARCHES OR SUGARS ______________________Biodiesel is produced from _____VEGETABLE OIL, SUCH AS SOYBEAN OIL_________18-1/Q6. What is biopower? ____BURNING BIOMASS TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY___What are its common fuels? _____INDUSTRIAL WASTE PRODUCTS; SOMETIMES CROPS AREGROWN SPECIFICALLY AS BIOFUELS ______18-1/Q7. What are the pros and cons of Biomass Energy?Pros/Benefits:1 RELEASES NO NET CARBON INTO AIR2 FOUND WORLDWIDE3 REDUCE A NATION’S DEPENDENCE ONIMPORTED FUELCons/Costs:1 TAKE UP LAND THAT COULD FEED PEOPLE2 DEFORESTATION, SOIL EROSION,DESERTIFICATION3 NOT RENEWABLE IF USED TOO QUICKLY4 CAN CAUSE INDOOR AIR POLLUTION18-1/Q8. How is geothermal energy formed? HIGH PRESSURE AND BREAKDOWN OF RADIOACTIVEELEMENTS DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH HEATS ROCKS OR WATER BELOW EARTH’S SURFACE.___18-1/Q9. Geothermal energy can produce electricity directly when _____STEAM FROM GEYSERS AT THESURFACE SUPPLY ENERGY______________usually, however, deep _____WELLS_____ are drilled to get to ____HEATED ROCKS AND WATER________________________________________________. Either way, the ___STEAM___ from geothermalheat is used to spin ___TURBINES____ that run ____GENERATORS____.

Page 2 of 418-1/Q10. If you want to heat or cool your house with geothermal energy, you would use a _____________GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP____ which takes advantage of the fact that__THERE IS A STEADY UNDERGROUND TEMPERATURE__.18-1/Q11. In the winter, the ground is ____WARMER___ than the air, so the heat pump ___WARMS____the house. In the summer, the ground is ___COOLER____than the air, so the heat pump COOLS_____the house.18-1/Q12. What are the pros and cons of geothermal energy?Pros/Benefits:1 POLLUTES LESS THAN FOSSIL FUELS2 LESS GREENHOUSE GASES3 CAN REPLACE FOSSIL FUELSCons/Costs:1 CAN USE HEATED WATER FASTER THAN REPLACED2 CHEMICALS IN STEAM DAMAGE EQUIPMENT3 MAY CAUSE EARTHQUAKES4 NEED GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY – ONLY FOR POWER PLANT18-2—HYDROPOWER AND OCEAN ENERGYGUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WATER BE USED TO ADDRESS ENERGY NEEDS?18-2/Q1. In the 1820, hydropower was used to help manufacture ____CLOTH_______.18-2/Q2. Moving water has ____KINETIC_____ energy.18-2/Q3. Why does a hydroelectric plant need a reservoir? To increase the potential energy and storewater_.18-2/Q4. If hydropower is generated using natural flow of water to spin turbines, it is called the________RUN-OF-THE-RIVER APPROACH___________.18-2/Q5. Why is the use of hydropower in the United States already maxed out? ____ALL SUITABLE DAMSITES HAVE BEEN USED_____.18-2/Q6. Describe the pros and cons of hydropower.Pros/Benefits:ALSO MAYCONTROL FLOODS1 RENEWABLE2 NO AIR POLLUTION3 NO GREENHOUSE GASES4 RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVECons/Costs:1 DRASTICALLY CHANGES ECOSYSTEMS2 DAMAGES LANDSCAPE3 CAN CAUSE EROSION4 PREVENT SEDIMENTS AND NUTRIENTS FROMGETTING DOWNSTREAM18-2/Q7. What is tidal energy? ___USING MOVEMENT OF TIDAL WATER TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY .Describe the location that is best suited for tidal energy. Why is this ideal? _______________________WORKS BEST IN LONG, NARROW BAYS. _______.______LARGE DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHT BETWEEN HIGH & LOW TIDE MEANS LOTS OF WATERMOVES IN AND OUT TO SPIN TURBINES. FEW LOCATIONS HAVE THIS PROPERTY.______.18-2/Q8. OTEC stands for _____OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION___It is a new technology that converts THERMAL_energy in the _____OCEAN_______ intoelectricity.

Page 3 of 418-3 – SOLAR AND WIND ENERGYGUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE RELY ON THE SUN AND WIND FOR POWER?You might want to watch this 4 minute TED Talk on how 14-year old William Kamkwamba built hiswindmill; or this inspiring 6 minute TED talk that he made 2 years later that explains why he harnessedthe wind. [TED talks are really cool – you might enjoy exploring the site!]18-3/Q1. What is the difference between passive solar heating and active solar heating?____ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING USING TECHNOLOGY TO COLLECT, MOVE AND STORE HEAT FROM THESUN. PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING INVOLVES DESIGNING A BUILDING TO DO THIS NATURALLY.________18-3/Q2. In a photovoltaic cell, solar energy is converted directly into ELECTRICITY_because ___THE FLOW OF ELECTRONS FROM ONE PLATE TO ANOTHER CREATES AN ELECTRICCURRENT__.Name something you might own that has a PV cell: WATCH, CALCULATOR_18-3/Q3 What does CSP stand for? ____CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER______Usually, this form of solar energy uses _____MIRRORS____ to ______FOCUS___sunlight in order to generate________ELECTRICITY__________.18-3/Q4. What are some pros and cons of solar power?Pros/Benefits:ALSO CAN BE USEDIN ISOLATED AREAS1 USES NO FUEL2 QUIET AND SAFE3 NO GREENHOUSE GASESNO AIR OR WATER POLLUTIONLITTLE EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE NEEDEDCons/Costs:1 NEEDS SUNLIGHT!2 MOST EXPENSIVE WAY TO GENERATEELECTRICITY3 NEEDS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT18-3/Q5. Why is wind an indirect form of solar power?_______WIND IS CAUSED BY THE UNEVEN HEATING OF AIR MASSES BY THE SUN________________18-3/Q6. Recall the 5 main steps involved with the generation of electricity. Which step is eliminated witha wind turbine? _____NO NEED TO BURN FUEL TO MAKE STEAM; WIND TURNS THE TURBINE__________18-3/Q7. What are three ways wind energy has been used historically?GRIND GRAIN PUMP WATER TO DRAIN WETLANDS IRRIGATE CROPS

18-3/Q8. Why is it advantageous to build wind turbines offshore? _____WIND SPEEDS AREGREATER________18-3/Q9. What are some pros and cons of wind power?Pros/Benefits:1 NO POLLUTION2 EFFICIENT UNDER BEST CONDITIONS3 CAN BE SMALL OR LARGE SCALECons/Costs:1 IT ISN’T ALWAYS WINDY, NOR IS THERE ENOUGHWIND EVERYWHERE2 OFTEN WINDIEST FAR FROM WHERE ELECTRICITYIS NEEDED3 NOISY; PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO SEE WINDTURBINES

Page 4 of 418-4 ENERGY FROM HYDROGENGUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE USE HYDROGEN AS A SOURCE OF ENERGY?18-4/Q1. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the ___UNIVERSE_______ but the hydrogen gasused for hydrogen fuel is RARE_____ on Earth.Why is hydrogen rare on Earth? HYDROGEN COMBINES WITH OTHER ELEMENTS_18-4/Q2. What is the key to hydrogen fuel’s potential? ____IT IS PORTABLE – EASY TO MOVE FROM ONEPLACE TO ANOTHER 18-4/Q3. The first step to using hydrogen as a fuel is to obtain elemental hydrogen—that is, hydrogenthat is not bonded with any other elements. Electrolysis can do this. Describe the process of electrolysis.____WATER IS BROKEN DOWN INTO OXYGEN GAS (O 2 ) AND HYDROGEN GAS (H 2 ) BY AN ELECTRICCURRENT THAT RUNS THROUGH THE WATER._____18-4/Q4. What is the more common technique for obtaining hydrogen? ____BREAK DOWN OFMETHANE__What is a drawback to this method? ___PRODUCES GREENHOUSE GAS (CO 2 )__What are two other methods being investigated to obtain elemental hydrogen?USING HEAT FROM NUCLEAR REACTORS TO SPLITWATERUSING ALGAE TO PRODUCE H 218-4/Q5. Describe some costs and benefits of using hydrogen as an energy sourcePros/Benefits:1 WILL NEVER RUN OUT2 WATER AND HEAT ARE ONLY WASTE PRODUCTS3 CAN BE STORED AND TRANSPORTED EASILY4 NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN GASOLINECons/Costs:1 EXPENSIVE TO MAKE H 22 NEEDS TO BE COMPRESSED18-4/Q6. Hydrogen gas can also be used to produce electricity within __FUEL_ CELLS_.18-4/Q7. In a fuel cell, hydrogen gas (H 2 ) is ionized. This means it splits into 2 hydrogen atoms (H + ). Thehydrogen ions flow through the fuel cell and two things happen:1. AN ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOWS ACROSS THE FUEL CELL2. OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN COMBINE TO MAKE WATER18-4/Q8. It is hoped that fuel cells will be a better source of power for TRANSPORTATION_.THINK ABOUT IT: The big questions of chapters 17 and 18 are:can we depend on nonrenewable energy sources for our energy needs, andwhat are the potential uses and limitations of renewable energy sources?Many alternate (i.e., renewable) sources of energy are more expensive to use than nonrenewable energysources. But we also know that the inexpensive, nonrenewable sources will run out or become veryexpensive. Should people be forced to pay more for electricity in order to use renewable energy resourcesand reduce pollution? Should the government subsidize (i.e., support financially) solar power to make itaffordable? Should we go after and use as much fossil fuels as we can, no matter the cost? What choiceswill you make?

Find in document

Page 4 of 418-1 –BIOMASS AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE USE BIOMASS ENERGY AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?

18-1/Q1. Why do we need alternative energy resources?

REPLACE FOSSIL FUELS REDUCE AIR POLLUTION REDUCE EMISSION OF

GREENHOUSE GASES

18-1/Q2. What are some benefits of renewable energy resources? (These answers are different than Q1)

UNLIKELY TO RUN OUT LESS DEPENDENT ON OTHER

NATIONS FOR FUEL

CREATE JOBS

18-1/Q3. Give 3 examples of biomass energy sources

WOOD MANURE GRAIN

18-1/Q4. What are 3 ways biomass energy can be used?

HEATING COOKING LIGHTING

18-1/Q5. What is a biofuel? ____LIQUID BIOMASS FUEL__________________

Ethanol is produced from _____FERMENTING STARCHES OR SUGARS ______________________

Biodiesel is produced from _____VEGETABLE OIL, SUCH AS SOYBEAN OIL_________

18-1/Q6. What is biopower? ____BURNING BIOMASS TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY___

What are its common fuels? _____INDUSTRIAL WASTE PRODUCTS; SOMETIMES CROPS ARE

GROWN SPECIFICALLY AS BIOFUELS ______

18-1/Q7. What are the pros and cons of Biomass Energy?

Pros/Benefits:

1 RELEASES NO NET CARBON INTO AIR

2 FOUND WORLDWIDE

3 REDUCE A NATION’S DEPENDENCE ON

IMPORTED FUEL

Cons/Costs:

1 TAKE UP LAND THAT COULD FEED PEOPLE

2 DEFORESTATION, SOIL EROSION,

DESERTIFICATION

3 NOT RENEWABLE IF USED TOO QUICKLY

4 CAN CAUSE INDOOR AIR POLLUTION

18-1/Q8. How is geothermal energy formed? __HIGH PRESSURE AND BREAKDOWN OF RADIOACTIVE

ELEMENTS DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH HEATS ROCKS OR WATER BELOW EARTH’S SURFACE._____

18-1/Q9. Geothermal energy can produce electricity directly when _____STEAM FROM GEYSERS AT THE

SURFACE SUPPLY ENERGY______________

usually, however, deep _____WELLS_____ are drilled to get to ____HEATED ROCKS AND WATER____

____________________________________________. Either way, the ___STEAM___ from geothermal

heat is used to spin ___TURBINES____ that run ____GENERATORS____.

Page 2 of 4

18-1/Q10. If you want to heat or cool your house with geothermal energy, you would use a ___________

GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP__ which takes advantage of the fact that

THERE IS A STEADY UNDERGROUND TEMPERATURE.

18-1/Q11. In the winter, the ground is ____WARMER___ than the air, so the heat pump ___WARMS____

the house. In the summer, the ground is ___COOLER____than the air, so the heat pump COOLS_____

the house.

18-1/Q12. What are the pros and cons of geothermal energy?

Pros/Benefits:

1 POLLUTES LESS THAN FOSSIL FUELS

2 LESS GREENHOUSE GASES

3 CAN REPLACE FOSSIL FUELS

Cons/Costs:

1 CAN USE HEATED WATER FASTER THAN REPLACED

2 CHEMICALS IN STEAM DAMAGE EQUIPMENT

3 MAY CAUSE EARTHQUAKES

4 NEED GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY – ONLY FOR POWER PLANT

18-2—HYDROPOWER AND OCEAN ENERGY

GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WATER BE USED TO ADDRESS ENERGY NEEDS?

18-2/Q1. In the 1820, hydropower was used to help manufacture ____CLOTH_______.

18-2/Q2. Moving water has ____KINETIC_____ energy.

18-2/Q3. Why does a hydroelectric plant need a reservoir? _To increase the potential energy and store

water__.

18-2/Q4. If hydropower is generated using natural flow of water to spin turbines, it is called the

________RUN-OF-THE-RIVER APPROACH___________.

18-2/Q5. Why is the use of hydropower in the United States already maxed out? ____ALL SUITABLE DAM

SITES HAVE BEEN USED_____.

18-2/Q6. Describe the pros and cons of hydropower.

Pros/Benefits:

ALSO MAY

CONTROL FLOODS

1 RENEWABLE

2 NO AIR POLLUTION

3 NO GREENHOUSE GASES

4 RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE

Cons/Costs:

1 DRASTICALLY CHANGES ECOSYSTEMS

2 DAMAGES LANDSCAPE

3 CAN CAUSE EROSION

4 PREVENT SEDIMENTS AND NUTRIENTS FROM

GETTING DOWNSTREAM

18-2/Q7. What is tidal energy? ___USING MOVEMENT OF TIDAL WATER TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY __.

Describe the location that is best suited for tidal energy. Why is this ideal? ____________________

_____WORKS BEST IN LONG, NARROW BAYS. _______.

______LARGE DIFFERENCE IN HEIGHT BETWEEN HIGH & LOW TIDE MEANS LOTS OF WATER

MOVES IN AND OUT TO SPIN TURBINES. FEW LOCATIONS HAVE THIS PROPERTY.______.

18-2/Q8. OTEC stands for _____OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION___

It is a new technology that converts THERMAL_energy in the _____OCEAN_______ into

electricity.

Page 3 of 4

18-3 – SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY

GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE RELY ON THE SUN AND WIND FOR POWER?

You might want to watch this 4 minute TED Talk on how 14-year old William Kamkwamba built his

windmill; or this inspiring 6 minute TED talk that he made 2 years later that explains why he harnessed

the wind. [TED talks are really cool – you might enjoy exploring the site!]

18-3/Q1. What is the difference between passive solar heating and active solar heating?

____ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING USING TECHNOLOGY TO COLLECT, MOVE AND STORE HEAT FROM THE

SUN. PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING INVOLVES DESIGNING A BUILDING TO DO THIS NATURALLY.________

18-3/Q2. In a photovoltaic cell, solar energy is converted directly into ELECTRICITY_

because ___THE FLOW OF ELECTRONS FROM ONE PLATE TO ANOTHER CREATES AN ELECTRIC

CURRENT__.

Name something you might own that has a PV cell: WATCH, CALCULATOR_

18-3/Q3 What does CSP stand for? ____CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER______

Usually, this form of solar energy uses _____MIRRORS____ to ______FOCUS___

sunlight in order to generate________ELECTRICITY__________.

18-3/Q4. What are some pros and cons of solar power?

Pros/Benefits:

ALSO CAN BE USED

IN ISOLATED AREAS

1 USES NO FUEL

2 QUIET AND SAFE

3 NO GREENHOUSE GASES

NO AIR OR WATER POLLUTION

LITTLE EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE NEEDED

Cons/Costs:

1 NEEDS SUNLIGHT!

2 MOST EXPENSIVE WAY TO GENERATE

ELECTRICITY

3 NEEDS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT

18-3/Q5. Why is wind an indirect form of solar power?

_______WIND IS CAUSED BY THE UNEVEN HEATING OF AIR MASSES BY THE SUN________________

18-3/Q6. Recall the 5 main steps involved with the generation of electricity. Which step is eliminated with

a wind turbine? _____NO NEED TO BURN FUEL TO MAKE STEAM; WIND TURNS THE TURBINE__________

18-3/Q7. What are three ways wind energy has been used historically?

GRIND GRAIN PUMP WATER TO DRAIN WETLANDS IRRIGATE CROPS

18-3/Q8. Why is it advantageous to build wind turbines offshore? _____WIND SPEEDS ARE

GREATER________

18-3/Q9. What are some pros and cons of wind power?

Pros/Benefits:

1 NO POLLUTION

2 EFFICIENT UNDER BEST CONDITIONS

3 CAN BE SMALL OR LARGE SCALE

Cons/Costs:

1 IT ISN’T ALWAYS WINDY, NOR IS THERE ENOUGH

WIND EVERYWHERE

2 OFTEN WINDIEST FAR FROM WHERE ELECTRICITY

IS NEEDED

3 NOISY; PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO SEE WIND

TURBINES

Page 4 of 4

18-4 ENERGY FROM HYDROGEN

GUIDING QUESTION: HOW CAN WE USE HYDROGEN AS A SOURCE OF ENERGY?

18-4/Q1. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the ___UNIVERSE_______ but the hydrogen gas

used for hydrogen fuel is RARE_____ on Earth.

Why is hydrogen rare on Earth? HYDROGEN COMBINES WITH OTHER ELEMENTS_

18-4/Q2. What is the key to hydrogen fuel’s potential? ____IT IS PORTABLE – EASY TO MOVE FROM ONE

PLACE TO ANOTHER __

18-4/Q3. The first step to using hydrogen as a fuel is to obtain elemental hydrogen—that is, hydrogen

that is not bonded with any other elements. Electrolysis can do this. Describe the process of electrolysis.

______WATER IS BROKEN DOWN INTO OXYGEN GAS (O 2 ) AND HYDROGEN GAS (H 2 ) BY AN ELECTRIC

CURRENT THAT RUNS THROUGH THE WATER._____

18-4/Q4. What is the more common technique for obtaining hydrogen? ____BREAK DOWN OF

METHANE__

What is a drawback to this method? ___PRODUCES GREENHOUSE GAS (CO 2 )__

What are two other methods being investigated to obtain elemental hydrogen?

USING HEAT FROM NUCLEAR REACTORS TO SPLIT

WATER

USING ALGAE TO PRODUCE H 2

18-4/Q5. Describe some costs and benefits of using hydrogen as an energy source

Pros/Benefits:

1 WILL NEVER RUN OUT

2 WATER AND HEAT ARE ONLY WASTE PRODUCTS

3 CAN BE STORED AND TRANSPORTED EASILY

4 NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN GASOLINE

Cons/Costs:

1 EXPENSIVE TO MAKE H 2

2 NEEDS TO BE COMPRESSED

18-4/Q6. Hydrogen gas can also be used to produce electricity within __FUEL_ CELLS_.

18-4/Q7. In a fuel cell, hydrogen gas (H 2 ) is ionized. This means it splits into 2 hydrogen atoms (H + ). The

hydrogen ions flow through the fuel cell and two things happen:

1. AN ELECTRIC CURRENT FLOWS ACROSS THE FUEL CELL

2. OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN COMBINE TO MAKE WATER

18-4/Q8. It is hoped that fuel cells will be a better source of power for TRANSPORTATION_.

THINK ABOUT IT: The big questions of chapters 17 and 18 are:

can we depend on nonrenewable energy sources for our energy needs, and

what are the potential uses and limitations of renewable energy sources?

Many alternate (i.e., renewable) sources of energy are more expensive to use than nonrenewable energy

sources. But we also know that the inexpensive, nonrenewable sources will run out or become very

expensive. Should people be forced to pay more for electricity in order to use renewable energy resources

and reduce pollution? Should the government subsidize (i.e., support financially) solar power to make it

affordable? Should we go after and use as much fossil fuels as we can, no matter the cost? What choices

will you make?

Page 4 of 4