Extra Explaining Questions - SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCES

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCES

1. An old coal-fired power station has output of 2 MW (2 million watts). The electricity generating company plans to replace it with wind turbines which have a maximum output of 4000 W each.
   1. Calculate the minimum number of wind turbines required to replace the old power station.
      [Show answer]

      $$Number~ of ~turbines\ =\frac{Total~ power ~output}{Power ~output~ of ~one ~turbine}$$ $$ ~~=\frac{2~ 000 ~000}{4 ~000}$$ $$ =500$$ The minimum number of wind turbines required is 500.
   2. Suggest why more wind turbines than this might be required in reality.
      [Show answer]

      More wind turbines are needed in reality because the wind is not reliable. The speed of the wind and direction are not constant, hence affect the production of electricity.
   3. Give two reasons why some people might oppose the wind farm development.
      [Show answer]
      The wind turbines are noisy and can spoil the land scape
      It requires large windy site, hence some people may lose their homes and cultivating land
2. Geothermal energy can be described as a renewable energy source.
   1. Describe what is meant by geothermal energy
   2. Describe what ‘renewable energy’ means
   3. Give two (2) disadvantages of using geothermal energy to generate electricity.