Think, pair, share…
How have you used energy today?
Electrical devices
Heating
Hot water
Cooking
Transport
How do we meet these energy demands?
Most of our energy is generated by fossil-fuelled power stations which supplies our homes, offices and factories.
Energy Demands
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Thursday, 06 February 2025�Energy Demands
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6
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Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
LO:
L.A.:
BIGGER PICTURE
Energy resources
Energy Demands
Solar and Geothermal
Energy and the environment
Big Energy issues
TOPIC
Wind and Water
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Think, pair, share…
What do you already know about fossil fuels?
Fossil fuels are extracted from underground or under the sea bed and then transported to oil refineries and power stations. They are burnt to release the stored chemical energy.
Fossil fuels (and nuclear) are non-renewable because they can not be replaced.
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Using Kerboodle and the internet create an advantages and disadvantages table compare between Renewable and Non-renewable resources
Your turn!
Renewable resources | |
Advantages | Disadvantages |
| |
Non-renewable resources | |
Advantages | Disadvantages |
| |
What do these words mean?
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY
GENERATING ELECTRICITY
All of these methods are used to heat water to create steam which is used to turn the turbine and generate electricity
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Energy source | Advantages | Disadvantages |
Coal | Relatively cheap to mine, ready made fuels | Non-renewable, burning produces CO2 |
Oil | Short start-up time, ready made fuels | Non-renewable, burning produces CO2 |
Gas | Slightly cleaner fuel than oil and gas and is a ready made fuel | Non-renewable, burning produces CO2 |
Nuclear power | Produces lots of energy, does not produce CO2 | Non-renewable, produces dangerous nuclear waste |
RENEWABLE ENERGY
GENERATING ELECTRICITY
Energy source | Advantages | Disadvantages |
Wind | Renewable, no fuel costs | No wind sometimes, noisy |
Hydroelectric | Renewable, no fuel costs | Can flood areas, disrupts habitats |
Solar | Renewable, no fuel costs | No sun at night, some countries don’t get enough sun in the day, panels are expensive |
Geothermal | Renewable, no fuel costs | Only available in volcanic regions, |
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
COMPREHENSION TASK
Read the information text and answer the questions below in your book:
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
New information- Power stations
How do fossil-fuel power stations work?
Task: watch the video clip and pay attention to how a fossil-fuel power station works.
Key points: The burning fuel heats water to make steam. The steam drives a turbine that turns an electricity generator.
Some fossil fuel-power stations can be easily converted to use biofuels instead.
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Think, pair, share…
Some estimations from international organisations suggest some fossil-fuel energy reserves may run out in our lifetime.
A. Ideally we would use renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectricity but these all need new power stations building- which will take time and a lot of money.
Q. How can we continue to meet our energy demands when fossil fuels run out?
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Important- Biofuels! Watch the video and answer the following questions
What is a biofuel?
Are there different biofuels?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels?
10 minutes
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Watch the video and answer the following questions:
Biofuels
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
What do you think the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels are?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Fossil fuel power station
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Nuclear power station
Notice any similarities?
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Using the information slides to create an advantages and disadvantages table for using fossil fuels vs nuclear
Your turn!
Fossil fuel power stations | |
Advantages | Disadvantages |
| |
Nuclear power stations | |
Advantages | Disadvantages |
| |
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Nuclear fuel is used to generate electricity but, unlike fossil fuels, it does not burn.
In a nuclear power station, the heat released from nuclear fission reactions is used to change water into steam. As in other types of power station, the steam then turns a turbine, which turns a generator and produces electricity.
such as carbon dioxide or gases which cause acid rain.
In a nuclear fuel, such as uranium, reactions take place that split the atoms and release huge amounts of heat energy.
This is called nuclear fission.
Nuclear power stations do not release any greenhouse gases
To draw a flow chart showing the stages of electricity generation in a power station.
To describe the similarities and differences between different power stations.
To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power.
Nuclear power stations
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
To draw a flow chart showing the stages of electricity generation in a power station.
To describe the similarities and differences between different power stations.
To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power.
The heat released when the atom is split means that the core is very hot.
The thermal energy of the core is taken away by a fluid (coolant) that is pumped through the core.
The coolant is very hot when it leaves the core. It flows through a pipe to a ‘heat exchanger’ then back to the core reactor.
The thermal energy of the coolant is used to turn water into steam in the heat exchanger. The steam drives turbines which turn electricity generators.
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
It also contains plutonium, which is a highly-radioactive product of the fission reactions that occur in uranium nuclear fuel.
However, plutonium is also used in the construction of nuclear bombs and poses a very serious threat if it gets into the wrong hands.
Nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste.
The used nuclear fuel contains some uranium, which can be separated from the waste and reused.
New reactors that use this waste product as a fuel have been built.
To draw a flow chart showing the stages of electricity generation in a power station.
To describe the similarities and differences between different power stations.
To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power.
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Nuclear waste that cannot be reused poses serious problems as it can remain radioactive for thousands of years.
Highly radioactive waste can be turned into glass to help stabilize it and prevent leaks during storage.
Another suggested solution is to dump radioactive waste at the bottom of the sea. Dealing with nuclear waste is
expensive and any solution has to be long term.
One solution is to bury the waste deep underground.
This must be in a geologically stable environment, so there are few suitable sites.
To draw a flow chart showing the stages of electricity generation in a power station.
To describe the similarities and differences between different power stations.
To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power.
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
The demand for electricity varies depending on the time of day and time of year. Power stations have to cope with this.
Nuclear power stations take about two days to reach full power. They are only shut down for maintenance.
Power stations cannot be turned on at the flick of a switch. These are typical start-up times for power stations that use non-renewable energy resources.
1 hour
4 hours
7 hours
natural gas
oil
coal
nuclear power
48 hours
Type of fuel
Start-up time
Which type of power is useful when extra power is needed
for a short time?
Natural gas power stations produce electricity quickly.
The demand for electricity
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
Non-renewable energy resources will eventually run out.
Scientists think that natural gas reserves will only last another 25-30 years.
25-30 years
about 75 years
about 300 years
natural gas
oil
coal
nuclear power
thousands of years
Type of fuel
Time until reserves run out
Even though nuclear fuel will last thousands of years, there is still a limited supply and so it will eventually run out.
energy resource.
It is difficult to be exact as new gas fields are still being discovered.
This is why nuclear power is classed as a non-renewable
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power
GENERATING ELECTRICITY
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Coal- or oil-fired power stations
GENERATING ELECTRICITY
Power stations fuelled by fossil fuels or nuclear fuels are reliable sources of energy. This means they can provide power whenever it is needed.
Nuclear power stations and coal-fired power stations provide 'base load' electricity - run all the time as they take the longest time to start up.
Oil-fired and gas-fired power stations are often used to provide extra electricity at peak times, because they take the least time to start up.
The fuel for nuclear power stations is relatively cheap, but the power stations themselves are expensive to build. It is also very expensive to dismantle old nuclear power stations and to store their radioactive waste, which is a dangerous health hazard.
CHALLENGE
Key words: Energy, renewable, non renewable, fossil fuel, biofuel, power