Energy resources Cambridge IGCSE Physics (9–1) revision
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In plain words
We get useful energy from many sources. Some will run out (coal, oil, gas, nuclear fuel): they are non-renewable. Some are replaced as fast as we use them (sun, wind, waves, tides, hydroelectric, geothermal): they are renewable. Most power stations end up doing the same thing: turning a turbine, which turns a generator.
Three things to know
- Renewable resources (solar, wind, waves, tides, hydroelectric, geothermal, biofuels) will not run out. Non-renewable ones (coal, oil, gas, nuclear fuel) will.
- In most power stations a fuel heats water to steam, the steam turns a turbine, and the turbine turns a generator.
- Each resource has costs: fossil fuels release carbon dioxide; wind and solar depend on the weather; nuclear leaves radioactive waste.
Tips and tricks
- For "advantages and disadvantages", give ones that fit that resource. "The wind doesn't always blow" beats "it is unreliable".
- Renewable doesn't mean "no pollution", and non-renewable doesn't always mean "makes carbon dioxide": nuclear fuel will run out, but a nuclear power station gives off no carbon dioxide when it's running.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Energy resources: 6 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
Which of these is a non-renewable energy resource?
Natural gas is a fossil fuel and takes millions of years to form.
What turns the generator in most power stations?
Steam, water or wind turns a turbine, and the turbine turns the generator.
Which resource gets its energy from the Earth's hot interior?
Geothermal power uses heat from rocks deep underground.
What is a disadvantage of solar panels?
Their output depends on daylight.
Which is the original source of energy for wind, waves and fossil fuels?
The Sun drives the weather, and powered the plants that became fossil fuels.
Which is a problem with nuclear power stations?
The waste must be stored safely for thousands of years.
Quiz
6 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
4 questions, 9 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Energy resources
Cambridge IGCSE Physics (9–1) 0972 · 9 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
State two renewable energy resources.[2]
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Any two of: solar, wind, wave, tidal, hydroelectric, geothermal, biofuel.
Describe how electricity is generated in a coal-fired power station.[3]
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Coal is burned to heat water into steam. The steam turns a turbine, which turns a generator.
Give one advantage and one disadvantage of wind turbines.[2]
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Advantage: no fuel cost and no carbon dioxide when running. Disadvantage: the output depends on the wind (or: they take up land; some people find them unsightly).
Explain why burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming.[2]
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It releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, which traps more energy in the atmosphere.
Answers: Energy resources
- 1. Any two of: solar, wind, wave, tidal, hydroelectric, geothermal, biofuel.
- 2. Coal is burned to heat water into steam. The steam turns a turbine, which turns a generator.
- 3. Advantage: no fuel cost and no carbon dioxide when running. Disadvantage: the output depends on the wind (or: they take up land; some people find them unsightly).
- 4. It releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, which traps more energy in the atmosphere.