Transcript Extended glossary - Energy resources

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Acid rain
Rain that is acidic, as a result of either naturally occurring or
human-made chemicals that have dissolved in rain water.
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Biofuel
A fuel that has been made from a crop grown for that
purpose. Most diesel is separated from crude oil, but
biodiesel can be made from oils derived from crops such as
oil seed rape. Bioethanol can be made from crops such as
sugar cane. This is very useful in countries such as Brazil,
where the climate is perfect for growing sugar cane but they
have very little crude oil.
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Biomass
A source of renewable energy. Biomass is usually wood that
has been grown for the purpose of burning it to release
energy. This is a renewable way to harness energy from the
Sun, because this energy is transformed through
photosynthesis into chemical stored energy. Aside from the
energy used to harvest and process the crops, this should
be a carbon neutral way of providing energy for homes and
businesses.
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Carbon neutral
A process that overall does not cause the release of carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere, which would contribute to global
warming. Many processes are carbon neutral in theory, but not
in practice. For example, growing oil seed rape to turn into
biodiesel should absorb carbon dioxide as the plants grow and
release it again when the biodiesel is burnt. However, if energy
obtained from fossil fuels is used in the planting and harvesting
of the crop, the processing of the crop to make oils and the
chemical treatment of the oils to make biodiesel, then the fuel
is not strictly speaking carbon neutral.
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Chemical store
Energy that is stored within chemicals and can be released
during an exothermic chemical reaction.
For example, petrol has a large chemical store of energy because it is
able to release a lot of energy when it is burnt.
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Climate change
Long-term patterns in very large-scale weather systems.
The weather may change from day to day, and from place to
place in a country or continent. Climate is more concerned
with global average temperatures and weather systems that
affect huge areas of the Earth. Global warming is an
example of climate change.
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Coal
A solid black substance that is found buried in the Earth’s
crust and consists mainly of carbon with some impurities.
Coal is a fossil fuel, made from ancient trees that were
buried in swamps and could not rot away normally.
Extremely high pressures and the absence of oxygen over
millions of years turned the wood into coal.
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Combined cycle power station
A modern design of power station that burns gas to
generate electricity. The hot gases produced from burning
the gas (carbon dioxide and water) are used to drive a
turbine. The hot gases are then cooled using water, which
turns into steam and can be used to drive another turbine.
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Crude oil
A thick black liquid that can be found buried under layers of
rock in the Earth’s crust. It was formed from the remains of
very small sea creatures that sank to the ocean floor and were
covered with layers of sediment, millions of years ago. High
pressure and the absence of oxygen turned this into oil.
Crude oil is extracted from the crust by drilling and then it is
separated into useful substances by fractional distillation. We
obtain camping gas, petrol, diesel and tar for the roads from
crude oil. Crude oil products are also processed to produce
plastics, medicines and cosmetics.
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Electromagnetic radiation
Waves of varying wavelengths that can transfer energy
through a vacuum. These waves require no particles to
travel through because they move as a result of vibrations in
the electromagnetic field. They are transverse waves.
Examples include the longest wavelength radio waves (used for
communication and broadcasting), to the shortest wavelength gamma
rays (used for sterilising medical equipment).
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Energy resource
A substance or process that can be harnessed to provide
useful energy for human populations. This usually involves
transforming the energy into electricity.
Examples of energy resources include solar, nuclear, fossil fuels,
geothermal, hydroelectric and wind.
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Erosion
When rocks wear away by the action of the wind, rain, ice
and rivers and the particles are transported away to another
place.
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Fossil fuels
Fuels that have been formed in the Earth’s crust over
millions of years due to the action of pressure on the
remains of living things that have been buried under
sediments without enough oxygen for them to fully
decompose to carbon dioxide.
Examples of fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas (methane).
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Fuel
Any substance that can be burnt to release chemical energy
as heat. Fuels react with oxygen in combustion reactions.
Examples of fuels include natural gas, wood, coal, ethanol, petrol and
diesel.
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Generator
A device that converts kinetic energy into electrical energy.
In a power station, the generator is connected to the
spinning turbine, and it consists of a magnet and a coil of
wire spinning relative to each other. In many modern
generators, the magnet is actually an electromagnet
powered by direct current, spinning inside a larger coil. The
induced current is generated in the larger coil.
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Geothermal power
Using thermal energy from the Earth’s crust to produce
electricity or to provide heating for homes and businesses.
Geothermal power is only possible in places with volcanic
activity, such as Iceland, which produces 30% of its
electricity from geothermal energy.
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Global warming
The warming of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans as a
result of increasing the greenhouse effect. This has
occurred due to the emission of greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide and methane as a result of human activity.
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Hydroelectric power (HEP)
Using running water to generate electricity. This is usually
achieved by building a dam across a river high up in the
mountains and then allowing this water to travel down a
pipe, converting energy from its gravitational potential store
to its kinetic store. It can then be used to spin a turbine
connected to a generator.
Hydroelectric power stations are often found in mountainous
areas of the UK such as the Scottish Highlands and North
Wales.
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Infrared radiation
A method of heat transfer that, unlike conduction and
convection, does not require particles. Infrared radiation is a
type of electromagnetic wave that has a wavelength slightly
longer than that of visible red light (and thus a lower
frequency).
Infrared can be felt on your face and bare hands when you stand close
to a bonfire, for example: moving behind someone else instantly feels
colder because less infrared radiation falls on your face and hands.
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Light
Electromagnetic radiation that the human eye can detect.
This ranges in colour from red (long wavelength, low
frequency) to violet (shorter wavelength, higher frequency).
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National Grid
The network of pylons and wires that carries electricity
around the UK, from power stations to consumers.
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Natural gas
A fossil fuel that consists mainly of methane. This is the gas
that is piped to the majority of homes in the UK to provide
energy for heating and hot water. Because methane has no
odour (smell) a small amount of thiol is added so that
customers can detect a gas leak at home and avoid
explosions.
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Non-renewable energy resource
An energy resource that will eventually run out if we
continue to use it. It can also be described as being ‘finite’
(the opposite of infinite).
Examples of non-renewable energy resources include coal, oil and gas.
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Nuclear fuel
An element used in nuclear power stations to generate
electricity. Radioactive decay of these elements is used to
heat water. The steam produced is then used to drive a
turbine connected to a generator.
Examples of nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium.
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Payback time
The length of time (usually measured in years) before an
investment in a money-saving home improvement is repaid
by the savings you make from it on a yearly basis.
For example, if it costs £10 000 to have double glazing installed, and
this saves you £1000 every year, the payback time is 10 years. But if it
costs £100 to have a draught excluder fitter to your front and back door
and this saves you £50 every year, the payback time is 2 years.
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Power station
Where energy resources are utilised and electricity is
generated. The majority of power stations in the UK burn
fossil fuels to generate electricity, but some are nuclear,
others are hydroelectric and some are wind farms.
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Pumped storage
Using excess electricity to pump water up to a high
reservoir. When more electricity is needed, this water can
be released through turbines to generate electricity again.
An example of the use of pumped storage is Dinorwig power station in
Llanberis, North Wales.
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Radioactive
Describes substances whose nuclei give off ionising
radiation. Many substances all around us are radioactive
and our bodies can tolerate a certain amount of this
background radiation. However, increases to the amount of
radiation by touching or working near to radioactive
substances can be very dangerous.
An example of a naturally occurring radioactive substance is radon gas.
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Radioactive waste
The radioactive products from a nuclear power station or
nuclear research facility that continue to give off radiation for
many years. Radioactive waste can be low level (including
paper and clothing) or high level (such as the leftover fuel)
and must be stored safely for many years so that it cannot
harm living organisms, including humans.
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Renewable energy resource
An energy resource that will never run out (within the
lifetime of humans).
Examples of renewable energy resources include solar, wind,
hydroelectric and geothermal.
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Sluice gates
The panels that open or close to control the flow of water
through the turbines in a hydroelectric power station.
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Solar energy
Using light from the Sun to generate electricity in
photovoltaic cells, or heating water in solar panels by using
the Sun’s rays.
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Solar panels
Roof panels that absorb energy from the Sun to heat water,
rather than generating electricity.
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Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells
Roof panels that generate electricity directly from sunlight,
rather than heating water. They are also just called solar
cells, or PV cells.
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Tidal barrage
A dam built across a river mouth that traps the tide and then
releases the water through turbines to generate electricity.
Across the world, very few tidal barrages exist, although
many have been proposed. There are significant
environmental concerns because of the effect of flooding
the estuary habitat.
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Turbine
A large machine that resembles a jet engine. When steam
from a power station’s boiler passes through it the turbine
spins, and this spins a generator to make electricity.
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Ultraviolet radiation
Electromagnetic radiation that has a frequency slightly
higher than that of visible light. It is often abbreviated to UV.
Ultraviolet radiation causes suntan and sunburn and can
cause skin cancer. It is not visible to humans but it is visible
to some insects and birds.
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Wind energy
Taking energy from the kinetic store of moving air and using
it to turn turbines, to generate electricity.
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Wind farm
A collection of wind turbines in one place, generating
electricity, usually for the National Grid.
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Wind turbine
A device for using the wind’s kinetic store of energy to
generate electricity.
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