Unit 6 Energy Resources and Consumption APES Exam Review

Nonrenewable vs Renewable Energy Sources

1) Compare a nonrenewable to a renewable energy source.

Renewable energies generate from natural sources that can be replaced over a relatively short time scale.

Nonrenewable energies come from resources that are not replaced or are replaced only very slowly by natural processes.

2) Identify three examples of renewable resources and three examples of nonrenewable resources.

Renewable: solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass

Non-renewable: Coal, OIl, Natural Gas

Trends in Energy Consumption

3) How do developed and developing countries compare when it comes to energy consumption? Why?

Generally, we see that a person living in a developed country, which has a highly developed economy, will consume more energy than a person living in a developing country that is non-industrialized and poor. If the economy of a developing country improves, the energy consumption for that country rises.

4) What type of country (developed or developing) uses more fossil fuels? Why?

Developed countries use more fossil fuels because it is less available and more expensive compared to using biomass. Which is plentiful and inexpensive.

5) Does industrialization lead to high energy consumption rates? Why/why not?

Industrialization leads to high energy consumption because of the increased demand to run factories and keep up with demand.

Fuel: Wood Use in Developing Countries

6) Why is wood fuel commonly used in developing countries?

Wood is commonly used because of its availability and its cheaper price.

7) What are some environmental concerns with using wood as an energy source?

Deforestation from the inability to replant as quickly as the trees are being used.

Also carbon dioxide release which contributes to global climate change.

Coal

8) In the box to the right, list the ranks of coal in order from highest to lowest energy content. (indicate the addition of heat and pressure in the box.)

9) List three air pollutants that are emitted during the burning of coal.

a) Sulfur Dioxide b)Carbon Dioxide c) Mercury

Natural Gas

10) List three sources of methane that are amplified by human activities.

Animal Agriculture, Landfills, Biomass Burning

11) How is methane naturally produced?

Methane is produced during anaerobic bacterial decomposition

12) What is released when natural gas is burned (thus making it the “cleanest” fossil fuel)?

60% as much CO2 as coal

Crude Oil, Tar Sands, and Shale Oil

13) Place the following 8 events in chronological order: the oil spill of the Exxon Valdez; the meltdown of the reactor at Chernobyl; the discovery of contamination at Love Canal; The first Earth Day; the leak of methyl isocyanate in Bhopal; the drafting of the Kyoto Protocol; the ratification of the Montreal Protocol, passage of the US Endangered Species Act

a) Earth Day(1970) e) Bhopal(1984)

b) Endangered Species Act(1973) f) Chernobyl(1986)

c) Love Canal(1978) g) Exxon Valdez (1989)

d) Montreal Protocol (1983) h) Kyoto Protocol (1997)

14) Strengthen this weak statement: “Fossil fuel use releases carbon dioxide, which causes the greenhouse effect.”

Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that was sequestered underground adding to the net greenhouse gas content of the atmosphere which causes increased rates of global climate change.

15) List 4 products that are derived primarily from crude oil.

Asphalt, Gasoline, Heating Oil, Jet Fuel, Diesel Oil

16) The acronym OPEC refers to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and it is important because: It’s made up of 13 countries that have 60% of the world’s proven crude oil and are therefore likely to run the world’s oil supply for decades. Official purpose is to coordinate and unify petroleum policies, create stable markets, etc

17) Explain what the Deepwater Horizon was, where it went, and why it is significant.

It was the largest marine oil spill caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Rig. The environmental impact was unprecedented with 140 million gallons being leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.

18) The acronym ANWR refers to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and it is important because: it contains a large reserve of oil which has been a topic of debate for decades.

19) The acronym CAFE refers to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy and it is important because: its objective is to improve fuel economy for all the vehicles produced in the US.

20) Compare a tar sand to shale oil. What are some environmental concerns of each of these?

Oil shale is a form of sedimentary rock that contains kerogen, which is released as a petroleum-like liquid when the rock is heated. Tar sands are a combination of clay, sand, water and bitumen, which is a heavy hydrocarbon.

Tar sand oil uses a large amount of water and produces an enormous amount of greenhouse gases. The net energy retrieval is very low compared to oil shales. Tar sands also require a lot of deforestation.

Cogeneration

21) What is cogeneration? Why does this process increase efficiency?

The generation of electricity and other energy jointly, especially the utilization of the steam left over from electricity generation to produce heat.

Energy Sources and their Locations: Most?

22) For each energy source, identify what country contains the largest amount of the energy source.

Energy Source Location

Coal China

Crude Oil USA

Natural Gas USA

Uranium 235 USA

Geothermal USA

23) Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring to raise people’s awareness of the harmful effects of the pesticide DDT.

24) DDT was a commonly used pesticide in the 1950’s. Why is DDT considered a broad-spectrum pesticide? Why was it banned?

It can kill a number of species of pests. It is banned because it biomagnified up the food chain and caused the decline of many marine birds and marine organisms.

Energy Conversion: From Energy Source to Electricity

25) Describe how fossil fuels are ignited and converted into electricity.

The fossil fuels are then burned to heat water. When the fossil fuels' many hydrocarbon bonds are broken, they release large amounts of energy. The steam from the water then increases in pressure, forcing a turbine to spin. The turbine is used to rotate a magnet encased in a generator at high speeds. As the magnet spins, electrons are produced, and they power the electricity grid.

26) How do wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric operate?

Wind: Wind turns the propeller-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity.

Geothermal:A geothermal power plant works by tapping into steam or hot water reservoirs underground; the heat is used to drive an electrical generator.

Hydroelectric: Hydropower plants capture the energy of falling water to generate electricity. A turbine converts the kinetic energy of falling water into mechanical energy. Then a generator converts the mechanical energy from the turbine into electrical energy.

Hydraulic Fracturing

27) Fracking is short for hydraulic fracking and it is a concern because…it contaminates groundwater, releases methane, uses massive amounts of water.

28) How does fracking pollute the groundwater?

Leakage from storage areas, injection wells, along faults

Nuclear Power

29) Compare a fuel rod to a control rod. How do they work together?

Fuel rods contain the fuel that fission and heats the water. Control rods are used within the fuel rods to control reactivity.

30) State where Chernobyl is located and explain what happened there.

Chernobyl is located in the former USSR now Ukraine, and there was a nuclear meltdown there. It is still closed and an exclusion zone today.

31) Explain what happened at Three Mile Island, and why it is significant.

Three mile island is the United States’ worst and only nuclear event. The reactor partially melted down but only minimal radiation escaped the contaminant unit.

32) Explain how thermal pollution is produced by power plants.

In most power plants, large amounts of heat is produced to turn water to steam, which turns a turbine, which is connected to a generator. This steam is condensed and recycled using cooler water. This heated water is returned to a nearby river or stream which can cause thermal shock to organisms living in the lake.

33) Explain what happened at Fukushima Daiichi and why it is significant

Occurred in 2011 when a tsunami hit the nuclear pwer plant. Meltdowns occurred in 3 out of the 6 reactors. No fatalities or radiation sickness was reported.

34) Perform the following calculation. Show all of your work. A radioactive cloud may contain Iodine-131, which has a half-life of 8 days. If the waste must decay to a concentration of less than 0.1% to be considered safe, it will take approximately 80 days to reach safe levels.

Show work:

100/2 50/2 25/2 12.5/2 6.25/2 3.13/2 1.56/2 0.78/2 0.39/2 0.195/2 0.0975

10 half lives x 8 days/half live = 80 days

Biomass and Biogas

35) What is biomass and how is it converted into an energy source?

Organic matter used as a fuel. Solid biomass, such as wood and garbage, can be burned directly to produce heat.

36) What is biogas and how is it converted into an energy source?

Biogas is a type of biofuel that is naturally produced from the decomposition of organic waste. In most cases, biogas is used as fuel for combustion engines, which convert it to mechanical energy, powering an electric generator to produce electricity.

Solar Energy

37) In the box to the right, sketch a house and the surroundings of a house that is designed to make the greatest use of passive solar energy in the northern hemisphere. Include, inside the box, the location of both the winter and summer sun, and labels to indicate the compass direction that the house faces.

38) Compare passive and active solar energy.

There are two ways to harness solar energy. Passive systems are structures whose design, placement, or materials optimize the use of heat or light directly from the sun. Active systems have devices to convert the sun's energy into a more usable form, such as hot water or electricity.

39) Perform the following calculation. Show all of your work. A 40 m2 solar array is installed on a house where the average insolation is 6 kWh/m2/day if the average total electricity output of the array is 1.2 kWh/hr, the efficiency of the array is ____________.

Show work:

40) List three species that may be threatened by the construction of a solar power tower in the California Desert.

Desert tortoise, Mountain yellow legged frog, Joshua tree

41) Silicon is the active element in most photovoltaic cells. How do PV cells work?

Solar PV cells generate electricity by absorbing sunlight and using that light energy to create an electrical current. There are many photovoltaic cells within a single solar panel, and the current created by all of the cells together adds up to enough electricity to help power your home

42) Compare off grid to on grid solar systems.

A home solar panel system could be installed either as a stand-alone system or a grid-connected system. They are also referred to as an off-grid system or on-grid system. A grid-connected or on-grid system is a solar panel system that works with or is connected with the utility grid

43) Arrange the following types of electromagnetic radiation in order from lowest to highest energy: Ultraviolet, Microwave, Infrared, Gamma, Radio, X-ray, Visible.

44) List the following types of visible light in order from shortest to longest wavelength: Green, Orange, Red, Yellow, Blue, Violet.

Hydroelectric Power

45) In the box to the right, draw a diagram that illustrates how electricity is produced by a dam

Geothermal Energy

46) How is geothermal energy generated?

Geothermal power plants use steam to produce electricity. The steam comes from reservoirs of hot water found a few miles or more below the earth's surface. The steam rotates a turbine that activates a generator, which produces electricity.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

47) Describe the basic components of a fuel cell? What are the limitations of fuel cells? What are the advantages of using fuel cells?

A fuel cell works by passing hydrogen through the anode of a fuel cell and oxygen through the cathode. At the anode site, the hydrogen molecules are split into electrons and protons.

Limitations:

● It is expensive. While widely available, hydrogen is expensive● It is difficult to store. Hydrogen is very hard to move around● It is highly flammable● It is dependent on fossil fuels

Advantages:● Cleaner● Reduced greenhouse gas emissions● Hydrogen is abundant

Wing Energy

48) How does a wind turbine work? What are the limitations of wind turbines? What are the advantages of using wind turbines?

Wind turns the propeller-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity.

Limitations:

● Noise pollution● Interferes with bird migration

Advantages:

● Low costs● Efficient use of space

Energy Conservation

49) List four things you could do to conserve energy.

1. Use energy star appliances2. Switch to LED lights3. Walk, bike, carpool4. Double-paned wndows

Energy Math

50) If the cost of gas is $3.50 per gallon and the average gas mileage of a car is 25 mpg, the cost of driving the car per mile is .14 $/mi, or 14 ȼ/mi.

Show work:

$3.50/gal • 1 gal/25 miles = $0.14

51) Perform the following calculations: (Show all of your work in a logical progression to the final answer.)

a. A family has a total of 1500 Watts of light bulbs throughout their house, if they replace them all with LED light bulbs, which use 90% less energy, the family will now use 150 Watts of electricity.

Show work:

1500 W • .10 = 150 W

b. A space heater operates at 1500 Watts, if it is used for 10 hours each day for one week and the cost of electricity is 20 cents per kilowatt-hour, it will cost 21.00 to operate the heater for the week.

Show work:

1500 W • 10 hours * 1 kW/1000 KW • $0.20 = $3.00 / day • 7 days = 21.00$

c. A 60-Watt light bulb that is used for an average of 4 hours each day uses ___________ kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.Show work:

60 W • 4 hr = 240 Whr • 1 kw/1000W = 0.240 kWh/day • 365 days/year = 87.6 kWh/year

Sample FRQ’s

52) Upon receiving notice from their electric utility that customers with solar power systems are permitted to sell excess power back to the utility, an Arizona family is considering the purchase of a photovoltaic solar energy system for their 2,700-square-foot suburban home. The initial costs of the systems they are considering range from $7,000 to $30,000. While gathering information prior to making a decision, the homeowners find the following information at the Web site of the United States Department of Energy.

(a) Describe one environmental benefit and one environmental cost of photovoltaic systems.

(b) From the two types of solar systems described on the government Web site, select the system (either stand-alone or grid-connected) that you think best meets the needs of the homeowners. Write an argument to persuade them to purchase the system you selected. Include the pros and cons of each system in your argument.

(c) Describe TWO ways that government or industry could promote the use of photovoltaic power systems for homeowners in the future.

(d) Describe TWO ways that homeowners could use passive solar designs and/or systems and, for each way, explain how it would reduce the homeowners’ energy costs.

53) West Fremont is a community consisting of 3,000 homes. A small coal-burning power plant currently supplies electricity for the town. The capacity of the power plant is 12 megawatts (MW) and the average household consumes 8,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electrical energy each year. The price paid to the electric utility by West Fremont residents for this energy is $0.10 per kWh. The town leaders are considering a plan, the West Fremont Wind Project (WFWP), to generate their own electricity using 10 wind turbines that would be located on the wooded ridges surrounding the town. Each wind turbine would have a capacity of 1.2 MW and each would cost the town $3 million to purchase, finance, and operate for 25 years.

(a) Assuming that the existing power plant can operate at full capacity for 8,000 hrs/yr, how many kWh of electricity can be produced by the plant in a year?

(b) At the current rate of electrical energy use per household, how many kWh of electrical energy does the community consume in one year?

(c) Compare your answers in (a) and (b) and explain why you would or would not expect the numbers to be the same.

(d) Assuming that the electrical energy needs of the community do not change during the 25-year lifetime of the wind turbines, what would be the cost to the community of the electricity supplied by the WFWP over 25 years? Express your answer in dollars/kWh.

(e) Identify and explain TWO environmental benefits to West Fremont of switching from coal to wind power and TWO environmental costs to West Fremont of switching from coal to wind power.

Modified by A. Willis from David Hong’s AP Environmental Science Review Packets (Diamond Bar HS), 2020. FRQ’s are College Board Released.

Unit 6 Energy Resources and Consumption Review Videos

Mr. Andersen, Bozeman Biology 022 - Energy Concepts 023 - Energy Consumption 024 - Fossil Fuel Resources 025 - Nuclear Energy026 - Hydroelectric Power 027 - Energy Reduction 028 - Renewable Energy

Ted Ed

A Guide to the Energy on Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHztd6k5ZXY

Can 100% Renewable Energy Really Power the Earth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnvCbquYeIM

How do Solar Panels Work? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKxrkht7CpY

National Geographic

Renewable Energy 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kUE0BZtTRc

What are Fossil Fuels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTnE0OQPTEo

Fuse School

How do Fuel Cells Work? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_lDGna9MBM

Barron’s Review Chapters, 7th Edition

Chapter 8: Energy (Page 249)

Unit 6 Energy Resources and Consumption Vocabulary

AFV—Alternative Fuel Vehicle. Natural Gas cars, fuel cell cars, electric carsBiofuels—Alcohols, ethers, esters, and other chemicals made from raw biological material such as herbaceous and woody plants, agricultural and forestry residues, and a large portion of municipal solid and industrial waste.Biomass—Organic waste from agricultural, livestock, and lumber industry products, dead trees, foliage, etc., and is considered a renewable energy source. Biomass can be used as fuel and is most often burned to create steam that powers steam turbine generators. It is also used to make transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, and chemicals like pyrolysis oil that can be burned like oil to produce energy.BTU—British thermal unit; the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit under stated conditions of pressure and temperature (equal to 252 calories, 778 foot-pounds, 1,005 joules and 0.293 watthours). It is the U.S. customary unit of measuring the quality of heat, such as the heat content of fuel.CO—Carbon MonoxideCO2 —Carbon DioxideCogeneration—(also Combined Heat and Power) Production of electricity from steam, heat, or other forms of energy produced as a by-product of another process.Demand—The rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system or part of a system, generally expressed in kilowatts (kW), megawatts (MW), or gigawatts (GW), at a given instant or averaged over any designated interval of time. Demand should not be confused with Load or Energy.DOE—U.S. Department of Energy.Electric Energy—The generation or use of electric power by a device over a period of time, expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh), megawatt-hours (MWh), or gigawatt-hours (GWh).Energy Conservation—Using less energy, either by greater energy efficiency or by decreasing the types of applications requiring electricity or natural gas to operate.Energy Efficiency—Using less energy (electricity and/or natural gas) to perform the same function at the same level of quality. EPA—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Gigawatt-hour (GWh)—The unit of energy equal to that expended in one hour at a rate of one billion watts. One GWh equals 1,000 megawatt-hours.Greenhouse gases—Greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, nitrous oxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Grid—A system of interconnected power lines and generators that is managed so that power from generators is dispatched as needed to meet the requirements of the customers connected to the grid at various points. Kilowatt (kW)—This is a measure of demand for power. The rate at which electricity is used during a defined period (usually metered over 15-minute intervals). Utility customers generally are billed on a monthly basis; therefore, the kW demand for a given month would be the 15- minute period in which the most power is consumed. Kilowatt-hour (kWh)—This is a measure of consumption. It is the amount of electricity that is used over some period of time, typically a one-month period for billing purposes. Customers are charged a rate per kWh of electricity used.Megawatt (MW)—A megawatt equals 1,000 kilowatts or 1 million watts.Megawatt-hour (MWh)—The unit of energy equal to that expended in one hour at a rate of one million watts. One MWh equals 3,414,000 BTU’s.NO x —Nitrogen OxidesPeak Load or Peak Demand—The electric load that corresponds to a maximum level of electric demand within a specified time period, usually a year.Public Good—A good (or a service) that will not be produced and delivered solely by the free market. Economists call these “public goods” because the public consumes them, but they do not solely benefit a single buyer or group of buyers. Public Utility- An investor owned utility regulated by the PUC. “Public utility” excludes municipal utilities, cooperatives, and power marketing authorities.PV—PhotovoltaicSilicon (Si)—A semiconducting material found in most solar cells. It absorbs photons in sunlight and creates energy.Utility—A corporation, person, agency, authority, or other legal entity that owns or operates facilities for the generation, transmission, distribution, or sale of electric energy or natural gas primarily for use by the public and is defined as a utility under the statutes and rules by which it is regulated.Watt: The unit of measure for electric power or rate of doing work. The rate of energy transfer equivalent to one ampere flowing under pressure of one volt.