Geography - Energy Flashcards

Question

Positives of wind energy

Answer 1

○ Renewable ○ Wind turbines can be built on land and sea which means that they are good for lots of different countries ○ Turbines are quite cheap and easy to build, so they can be used even in poor countries

Answer 2

○ Turbines can be ugly and noisy which might upset local communities. ○ Not reliable - Only works if it is windy

Answer 3

* The chemical potential energy stored in things that were once alive can be turned into heat energy by burning them, as well as electrical energy for homes

Answer 4

○ Trees absorb the sun's energy. The trees change this energy into chemical energy, which they store inside themselves ○ When we burn wood, we turn this energy into heat, which is useful for cooking and heating.

Answer 5

○ Renewable - As long as we keep planting trees to replace the ones we cut down. ○ Doesn't need any special equipment, so it can be used very easily, even in poor countries. ○ Doesn't add to the greenhouse effect

Answer 6

Large areas of land are needed to grow enough trees.

Answer 7

○ Extracted through mining ○ Broken down into fine powder ○ The powder is then mixed with hot air in a furnace ○ As the coal burns it heat water in a boiler above ○ This produces steam ○ Powers a turbine engine ○ The engine produces electric energy

Answer 8

○ Coal is cheap and easy to transport across the world. ○ Some of the waste materials generated by burning coal can be recycled and used in cement.

Answer 9

○ It will run out in the next 100 years ○ Coal mines are very dangerous places to work ○ Burning coal releases lots of greenhouse gases which is bad for the environment

Answer 10

○ Oil is extracted by the Earth through large suction pumps which sucks it up from deep underneath the Earth's surface - This is often carried out on oil rigs ○ The oil is burned ○ As it burns it heats water in a boiler above it ○ This produces steam ○ Powers a turbine Produces electrical energy

Answer 11

○ Oil is cheap and easy to transport ○ It is still quite abundant. - There is still quite a lot of it

Answer 12

○ Oil spills are frequent and have huge impacts on the surrounding environment, particularly when they happen at sea. ○ As oil begins to run out it is becoming much more expensive.

Answer 13

* Creates energy by splitting atoms. * Coverts heat into electricity using steam.

Answer 14

○ The heat from the atoms boils water ○ Creates steam ○ Turns on turbine ○ Generates electricity

Answer 15

○ Gives off no greenhouse gases ○ High energy potential - Only a small bit of uranium is needed to made a LOT of energy ○ It isn't renewable, but it is recyclable

Answer 16

○ The waste created is highly radioactive. - It must be disposed of safely and carefully - Needs to be stored for long periods of time □ To be safe for disposal ○ Uranium supplies will run out ○ Nuclear power plants are at risk from terrorist attacks as, if blown up the radioactive waste would kill anything in the surrounding area.

Answer 17

* When the tide is high the sea has lots of gravitational potential energy * This is energy that is transferred from gravitational potential energy to electric energy

Answer 18

○ At high tides - We trap water behind a dam ○ At low tides - The water is released and its energy is used to generate electricity.

Answer 19

○ Renewable ○ No pollution - Nothing gets burned ○ Reliable - There are always two tides every day ○ Cheap to run, once it's built

Answer 20

○ Needs lots of machines to get a reasonable amount of energy ○ The machines - Cost a lot of money - Can look ugly ○ Can be easily damaged by storms

Answer 21

* Sea waves have kinetic energy

Answer 22

* Using the machines that bob up and down in the waves, this energy can be turned into electrical energy

Answer 23

○ Renewable ○ No pollution - Nothing is burned

Answer 24

○ Needs lots of machines to get a reasonable amount of energy ○ The machines - Coat a lot of money - Can look ugly - Can be easily damaged by storms

Answer 25

- Natural gas - Oil - Coal

Answer 26

Formed during the carboniferous period. Dead animals and organisms fell to the bottom of the ocean and decayed

Answer 27

- Ferns - Plants - Trees

Answer 28

- Zooplankton - Tiny organisms

Answer 29

Zooplankton and tiny organisms with more pressure.

Answer 30

Non-renewable

Answer 31

It is the largest emitter of CO2.

Answer 32

250 million years

Answer 33

When these organisms died they sank to the bottom of swamps and ocean and decomposed under layers of sand and clay.

Answer 34

Formed when dead organisms and plants harden under pressure and heat.

Answer 35

Formed when small organisms such as zooplankton decompose.

Answer 36

Formed when small organisms such as zooplankton decompose and it is exposed to more heat causing further decomposition.

Answer 37

Different fossil fuels form depending on the combination of organic matter involving heat, time and pressure.

Answer 38

- Wind farms are a good example of a renewable energy source. - Wind energy is cheap to produce—it costs roughly 3 to 4p to create every unit of electricity—similar to coal prices. - Wind farms could add £2.3 billion to the economy by 2050. - Building wind farms can create up to 2000 jobs a year. - Wind farms will decrease reliance on unstable energy supplies from abroad.

Answer 39

- The turning blades of the turbines rotate and can kill birds. - Wind farms cost a lot of money to build and they take a long time to make back the money that is spent from the energy they create. - Wind farms are ugly and they destroy the beautiful landscape. - Turbines cannot be used if the winds are too low or too high, so they can be unreliable. - Wind turbines which create electricity mean that large pylons would need to be built across the landscape to transport electricity. - House prices may fall if people don’t want to live close to a wind farm. This would make houses in the area hard to sell.

Answer 40

Nuclear fission

Answer 41

26th April 1986

Answer 42

One of the four nuclear reactors exploded.

Answer 43

Overheating of reactors where water coolant turned to steam.

Answer 44

100 times more radiation than atom bombs.

Answer 45

350,000 people relocated elsewhere, 5.5 million still remain.

Answer 46

It was contaminated.

Answer 47

9,000-93,000 extra cancer deaths.

Answer 48

* It can lead to nuclear weapons due to the technology in the reactors. * It leads to nuclear waste which is harmful for thousands of years. * It can lead to significant accidents and disasters which kills thousands.

Answer 49

* It can save lives as it ranks last in deaths per unit. * The nuclear waste can be buried deep in to the ground. * It reduced C02 emissions (which is a greenhouse gas). * It can be relatively clean. * New technology is reducing waste and risks.

Geography - Energy Flashcards

(75 cards)