CHECKPOINT SCIENCE

FORM 1
ENERGY RESOURCES
ENERGY RESOURCES
• The sun is the source of all these energy resources.
• Most of the energy around us originates from the sun. The sun’s
energy reaches Earth and is converted into many forms which we
then convert (or “use”) to supply our energy demands.
ENERGY TRANSFER CHAINS
1. Sun light energy photosynthesis dead plants/animals
FOSSIL FUELS
2. Sun light energy plants photosynthesis BIOMASS (wood)
3. Sun light energy plants photosynthesis BIOMASS
(food)
4. Sun heats atmosphere causes WINDS
5. Sun heats atmosphere causes winds causing WAVES
6. Sun heats Earth causes chemical reactions making
CHEMICAL BATTERIES
WHAT IS ENERGY SOURCE?
• Energy resources are things that can produce heat, power life, move
objects, or produce electricity.
• Some of these energy resources include: fossil fuels, nuclear fuel,
wind, geothermal, hydroelectricity, biomass, tidal and solar energy.
• Is it renewable or non-renewable energy resource?
A RANGE OF ENERGY RESOURCES
• There are many energy resources we can use. Some, like fossil fuels
and nuclear fuels, are non-renewable. Others, like wind, waves and
solar power, are renewable.
NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY
RESOURCES
• Non-renewable energy resources will run out.
• Fossil fuels took millions of years to develop – and only take minutes
to burn.
• Once they have been taken from the Earth – that is it, they are gone.
• Examples of non-renewable resources: plastics, petrol, diesel,
kerosene ,etc.
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES
• Renewable energy resources would not run out – as long as the sun
still shines.
• The wind will always blow – and turn turbines to generate electricity.
• Plants will always grow – and can be burnt to release heat energy.
• Waves will always be made – and drive generators to make electricity.
• Solar cells will always work – and change light to electrical energy.
DIFFERENT WAYS OF GENERATING
ELECTRICITY
• Three things are needed for electricity to be generated:
• Coil of wire
• Magnetic field
• Movement - using wind turbines, steam turbines (using fossil fuels)
GENERATING ELECTRICITY
• Electricity is generated in a variety of ways. There are two main
categories for generating electricity: non-renewable and renewable
energy resources.
• Non-renewable energy resources
• Most non-renewable energy resources use fossil fuels (coal, oil and
natural gas) to generate electricity. In fossil fuel generators,
the chemical energy of the fuel is burned to release heat energy.
• Below is a flow diagram that describes each energy change that
happens inside a fossil fuel power station.
GENERATING ELECTRICITY
• Nuclear power stations make use of the energy stored inside unstable
atoms. A similar sequence of energy changes occurs inside a nuclear
power station. Instead of chemical energy being burned to produce
heat, nuclear energy itself is used to heat water.
• Fossil and nuclear fuels are both non-renewable because the sources
of these fuels cannot be replaced and will eventually run out.
The transfer of energy from fossil fuels to
electricity though movement
Nuclear fuels
• release energy through nuclear reactions, rather than through
chemical reactions. The main nuclear fuels are uranium and
plutonium. In a nuclear power station, the energy released is used to
boil water. The expanding steam spins turbines, which then drive
generators to produce electricity.
NUCLEAR POWER STATION
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES
• There are many different types of renewable energy resources.
Renewable sources of energy are constantly being replaced and will
never run out. The most important in Scotland are: wind power, wave
power, hydroelectric power, solar power and in the future, tidal
power.
WIND TURBINES
• Wind turbines use the wind to drive turbines directly. They have huge
blades mounted on a tall tower. The blades are connected to a
'nacelle', or housing, which contains gears linked to a generator. As
the wind blows, it transfers some of its kinetic energy to the blades,
which turn and drive the generator.
Wind power
WAVES
• The water in the sea rises and falls because of waves on the surface.
Wave machines use the kinetic energy in this movement to drive
electricity generators.
Wave power
Hydroelectric power
• Like tidal barrages, hydroelectric power stations use the kinetic
energy in moving water. But the water usually comes from behind a
dam built across a river valley. The water high up behind the dam has
a lot of gravitational potential energy. This is transferred to kinetic
energy as the water rushes down through tubes inside the dam. The
moving water drives electrical generators, which may be built inside
the dam.
Hydroelectric power
SOLAR CELLS
• Two technologies harness solar energy. Solar photvoltaic converts
sunlight to direct current electricity using semiconductors, while
solar thermal uses the sun’s heat.
SOLAR CELLS