MAURO MARCHIONNO,

21-4-2020
VALENTINO FERRATO

RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

1. Explain how coal is formed. Why is carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere
when coal is burnt?

In places where seams of coal are formed today, there were dense forest about 300 million
years ago in the carboniferous. Coal is formed form the decomposition of the remains of
plants and animals. When it is burned, gases are given off and particles of ash, called "fly
ash," are released. The sulfur in coal combines with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide, which
can be a major source, combined with the carbon dioxide, of air pollution if emitted in large
enough quantities.

2. Look at the chart about two energy sources in the UK.

COAL BURNING POWER WIND TURBINES

STATION

Full output of an average station: Full output of one standard sized wind
32.000 megawatts of energy a day turbine:
32 megawatts of energy a day.

Average output achieved: Average output achieved:

30.000 megawatts a day Megawatts a day

Percentage of full output achieved on Percentage of full output achieved on

average: 94% average: 25%

a. Explain the advantages of using coal fired power stations instead of wind
turbines for generating electricity in the UK.

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The use of coal as a means of energy production is much better because the energy
production is much higher than wind turbines. As we can see in the table, the coal power
plant has a production of 32,000 megawatts per day, while that of wind turbines is 32
megawatts per day. In addition, the production obtained by means of the coal burning
electric power station. Finally, the final percentage of production is 94% in the coal-
burning power plant, while in wind turbines it is 25%.

b. State the environmental damage caused by coal fired power stations.

Fired power stations causes great damages, for example the atmosphere pollution when the
coal is burn, or the soil problems that generates its extraction. The liberation of carbon
dioxide is constant in these areas, causing several healthy problems to mankind, in addition
to the great environmental damage that it is caused and the greenhouse effect, who gets
constantly increased.

3. Which are the stronger - arguments FOR more use of nuclear power, or arguments
AGAINST more nuclear power use?
FOR:
Is much more environmentally friendly than than fossil fuels;
It doesn’t cause acid rain;
It doesn’t contribute to global warming or ozone depletion.
AGAINST
Humans exposed to higher than average levels of radiation develop cancer and leukemia:
The radiation that is released during the nuclear process is dangerous to all forms of life;
Waste is produced, which remains radioactive, and therefore dangerous to people to people
and animal life, for thousands of years.

4. Describe the advantages of oil over coal for

i. extraction from ground:
ii. transporting to place of use
iii. ease of use.
i. Since coal is a solid material and oil a liquid material, extracting oil
with the drilling method is much easier than extracting coal, which

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uses open-pit mining, thus causing environmental problems. In

addition, the coal cannot be extracted so deep, since the high
temperatures increase the combustion risk.
ii. Transporting oil is easier because large pipes or tanks are used.
iii. Either oil and gas are easy burnt, transport and distribute, thanks to
the use of combustion pipes and furnaces. It also pollutes less than
coal.

5. Give three reason why fuel wood is used more in less economically developed
countries than coal, oil, gas, nuclear energy.

Fuelwood is used more in less economically developed countries, for example in Africa,
than oil, gas or nuclear energy due to their vital role in preserving the environment and in
and in providing rural communities with their basic needs. The fuelwood is very useful to
allow them to cook their meals.

6. Describe how geothermal energy is harnessed. Why is it important in a country like

Iceland or New Zealand?

This type of energy is harnessed when they get ejected to the surface as geysers, hot springs
or steam. Otherwise, cold water is artificially pumped downwards through boreholes before
returning to the surface, usually as steam. The geothermal energy is considered to be
renewable, pollution free, and it provides a constant supply. In countries like Iceland or
New Zealand it is very important because of their geographical location, and their volcanic
areas. Both countries have volcanic areas where the heated rocks are near to the surface.

7. Why do relatively few tropical countries use solar energy?

In order to use solar energy, you need to invest a lot of money since it is very expensive,
and tropical countries do not have enough money to pay for all the solar panels and stations

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necessary to use this type of energy. Nowadays they are looking for new technology and
devices that can be used in order to produce solar energy and thus save more. One of the
disadvantages is that they cannot be put anywhere, since bad weather can damage the
devices.