1
Q
what is non renewable energy
A
rate of consumption greater than rate of formation
2
Q
what is renewable energy
A
rate of formation greater than rate of consumption
3
Q
advantages of non renewable energy
A
- easy to transport
- raw material in chemical industry
- widely used for vehicles
- also used as coke in steel industry
- oil and natural gas cleaner than coal
4
Q
disadvantages of non-renewable
A
- produces greenhouse gases when burnt
- oil spills cause water pollution
- world oil production concentrated in some countries
- work on oil rigs dangerous for workers
- power plants cause visual pollution
- noise from machinery
- deforestation to clear space for their extraction
- will only last maximum 300 years
5
Q
factors affecting location of coal power plant
A
- close to coal extraction sites since coal is bulky
- close to railway so coal is efficiently transported
- near rivers for supply of cooling water
- large flat site for building the power plant
6
Q
advantages of geothermal
A
- extremely cheap
- reduces dependence on fossil fuels
- does not produce greenhouse gases
- water pumped back into the ground and reused
- not affected by the weather
7
Q
disadvantages of geothermal
A
- restricted to areas with specific geology
- affected by volcanoes and earthquakes
- each well cannot be used for more than 25 years
- groundwater is saline and can be poisonous
8
Q
advantages of wind energy
A
- does not cause air pollution or global warming
- little effect on local ecosystem
- production is very cheap
- wind farms can provide extra income for farmers
9
Q
disadvantages of wind energy
A
- occasionally kills birds
- depends on windiness and weather
- form of visual pollution
- requires large number of turbines to generate small amounts of electricity
- expensive to set up initially
10
Q
advantages of solar energy
A
- safe and pollution free
- production is very cheap
- effective for low power uses
- can be exploited in sunny regions
11
Q
disadvantages of solar energy
A
- initial capital input is high
- depends on the weather
- less effective in cloudy regions
- less effective in high latitude regions
- less effective for high power uses
12
Q
site required for hydroelectric power stations
A
- large river
- large falling distance of water
- constant flow or water
- narrow valley to provide good dam site
- impermeable rocks so the reservoir does not leak
- stable geological conditions, so the dam does not collapse
- sparsely populated land, so large numbers of people do not have to be relocated to build the dam in the region
13
Q
advantages of hydroelectricity
A
- electricity produced at a constant rate
- power stations can quickly respond to changing demand
- no fuel costs
- reservoir formed behind dams can be used for water sports
- stored water can also be used for irrigation
- no atmospheric pollution
14
Q
disadvantages of hydroelectricity
A
- dams are expensive to build
- flooding of large areas of land
- people living downstream at risk of flooding
- can trigger earthquakes
- fertile soils cannot be formed by sediment blocked by dam
15
Q
factors affecting location of nuclear power plant
A
- large flat site to build on
- pure water needed for cooling so should be close to rivers
- medium to dispose off of radioactive waste
- far away from areas of population
16
Q
advantages of nuclear energy
A
- only small amounts of fuel needed to produce large amounts of energy
- fuel will not run out in the near future
- does not cause atmospheric pollution
- safety standards have improved
17
Q
disadvantages of nuclear
A
- serious incidents causing disasters can occur (Fukushima, Chernobyl)
- radioactive leakage can occur
- cost of shutting down nuclear power plants is very high
- radioactive waste can remain a hazard for 100s of years
- initial capital costs are very high
- nuclear weapons can be manufactures using the same technology
IGCSE Geography
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