What is the fastest growing energy source in the world?
Wind energy
How does a solar power plant work?
Rows of mirrors focus the sun's rays to heat a tank of water which creates steam which can be used to generate electricity
What are two examples of renewable energy?
Sunlight, water, wind, biomass fuels, and geothermal energy
What is solar energy?
Energy from the sun
What is a disadvantage of biomass fuels?
It takes time to replace trees that have been cut down; it is expensive to produce alcohol and methane in large quantities
What is nuclear fission?
The splitting of an atom's nucleus into two nuclei
What is an electric car?
A car that runs entirely on batteries
Explain the water cycle.
The sun heats water at the Earth's surface. The water turns into water vapor. The water vapor condenses into clouds and falls as precipitation.
What is an advantage of solar energy?
It is available anywhere the sun is shining; it does not cause pollution; it will not run out for billions of years
How can wind energy be captured?
Turbines
What is a disadvantage of nuclear power?
The process can be dangerous and cause explosions; wastes can be dangerous if disposed of improperly
What was probably the first fuel ever used for heat and light?
Wood
How can you generate electricity from geothermal energy?
Water is pumped underground where magma heats it and changes water to steam which turns turbines connected to generators
What products can be made from biomass fuels?
Alcohols
What is active solar heating?
Light strikes a dark metal surface of solar collector & is changed to thermal energy; water is pumped through pipes in solar collector & then through building
How do solar cells work?
When light hits the cell, an electric current is produced.
What is passive solar heating?
Light is converted to heat which is distributed without pumps or fans. It is how a car heats up on a hot day.
How does water produce electricity?
Water flows through a dam and turns a turbine which is connected to a generator
What are biomass fuels?
Fuels made from living or recently living things including wood, leaves, food wastes, and manure
What is an advantage of nuclear power?
It does not produce air pollution because no fuels are burned.
What is a mixture of gasoline and alcohol?
Gasohol
What is a disadvantage of hydroelectric power?
Dams prevent some species of fish from breeding and can damage aquatic habitats.
What is geothermal energy?
Intense heat from Earth's interior that warms the magma
What is electricity produced by flowing water?
Hydroelectric power
What is the cause of wind?
Uneven heating of Earth's surface