YOU ARE LEARNING:
Sources of Energy
Sources of Energy
We all do work from the energy sources that provide us with energy, whether those resources are renewable or non-renewable.
Energy sources are systems that store large amounts of energy. What do you think are the major uses of energy resources? Pick all the options you think are correct.
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The energy we use every day for heating, transportation and electricity comes from energy resources. The major energy sources can be categorised as renewable or non-renewable.
Non-renewable energy sources will one day be depleted (run out). A renewable energy source...
Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy resources. This means that one day, they will run out. Can you think of an example of a fossil fuel? Check out the hint if you need to.
Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are non-renewable. Which other energy source do you think is non-renewable?
The diagram shows how the fossil fuel coal formed over millions of years. If coal is the product of the remains of trees compressed with heat and pressure, then the original energy source is...
A) The earth B) The sun C) Water
Answer A, B or C.
If oil and natural gas is the product of the remains of prehistoric plants and animals compressed with heat and pressure, then the original energy source is...
All of the energy in coal, oil and gas originally came from the sun, captured through photosynthesis.
So when we burn fossil fuels, we release energy that ancient plants captured from the sun!
Renewable energy sources are useful as they are 'renewed' as they are used. Which renewable energy resources use water to generate electricity? Pick all the options you think are correct.
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Renewable energy sources also include solar power, wind power, bio-fuels and geothermal energy. These sources are being naturally renewed, and they cause less damage to the environment than fossil fuels.
Which type of energy resource is better? Renewable or non-renewable?
Which do you think provides most of the energy used worldwide?
Fossil fuels are reliable and they release a lot of energy! Burning 1 kilogram of fossil fuel releases around 30 million Joules of energy!
This sounds like a lot, but if you consider that global energy usage per year is around Joules, it is easy to understand why we are running out of fossil fuels!
We know that fossil fuels are non-renewable, but what other disadvantages are there to using too much of these energy resources? Pick all the options you think are correct.
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Renewable energy sources are not currently able to meet the world's energy demand, and they can be unreliable.
For example, wind power is reduced when there is little or no wind, and solar power is not produced at night.
Although they can be unreliable, there are advantages to using renewable energy resources over fossil or nuclear fuels. What are the major advantages? Pick all the options you think are correct.
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Biofuels are a renewable alternative to using fossil fuels for transportation. They harness the energy from living or recently living organisms. Biofuels are carbon-neutral, so they are better for the environment than fossil fuels.
What do you think is meant by the term carbon-neutral?
Because biofuels are made from living matter such as plants or animal waste, the carbon released into the atmosphere when they are burned is the same amount that the organism had absorbed and stored. This is why they are considered to be a 'carbon-neutral' energy source.