Chapter 16/17 Guided Reading
Ch. 16
Read: “Using Wind Power in New Ways for an Old Application”
1. How was the voyage of the Beluga SkySails different than traditional industrial ship voyages?
Beluga SkySail didn't use a set of fixed masts with its traditional sails that had to be monitored constantly.
Introduction to Alternative Energy Sources
2. Fossil fuels supply approximately 90% of the energy consumed by people
3. What are the two types of non-renewable alternative energy sources? Why are they considered to be non-renewable?
Nuclear and deep-earth geothermal are considered nonrenewable sources because they are used faster than when extracted from the Earth.
4. What is low-density, near-surface geothermal energy?
A kind of renewable energy.
5. What are biofuels made from?
Biomass including crops, wood, waste, and other organic components.
6. What is the definition of “renewable” energy?
Energy that can be regenerated by the sun within a period of time useful to humans.
Solar Energy
7. How much solar energy is equal to the energy stored in a all known reserves of coal, oil and natural gas on Earth?
Ten weeks of solar energy.
8. What are passive solar energy systems? Give an example.
Systems that don't require mechanical pumps or other active technologies to move air or water such as architectural designs that enhance absorption of solar energy.
9. What are active solar energy systems? Give an example.
They are systems require mechanical power to circulate air, water or other fluids such as electric pumps.
10. What are solar collectors? What are they used for? How do they work?
Solar collectors provide space heating and are glass-covered plates that is circulated through tubes. The radiation enters the glass and is absorbed by the black background. Heat is emitted, heating fluid.
11. What are photovoltaics? What are they made out of? Explain how they work.
They convert sunlight directly into electricity and consist of photovoltaic cells. While sunlight hits these cells, thin layers of a semiconductor produce an electric current to power any building.
12. What are solar thermal generators? How do they work?
These generators focus sunlight onto water-holding containers and while the water boils, the evaporated water is used to turn the turbines.
13. What are some of the environmental concerns of solar energy?
Mining and manufacturing different metals, glass, and other fluids can cause environmental issues throughout the productiom and the release.
14. What are fuel cells? How are they created?
They are highly efficient power-generating systems that produce electricity by combining fuel and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction and are created by electrodes, platinum membranes and with H2, H2O and O2.
Water Power
15. Water power has been around since when?
The Roman Empire.
16. How much power in the United States is currently powered by hydroelectricity?
80,000 MW (mega watts)
17. What is microhydropower? Where is this helpful?
A small scale hydro-power systems, for homes systems.
18. What are the environmental benefits of hydroelectricity?
They reduce the high cost of importing electricity and can help small operations become independent.
19. What are the environmental consequences of hydroelectricity?
Interference of freshwater ecosystems, take away landscape and changes downstream flow.
Ocean Energy
20. Explain how we can harness tidal power.
Building dams that entrance to a bay or estuary. As tides rises, water is prevented from entering the bay. When there is sufficient water to run turbines, the dam is opened and water flows to run turbines.
21. What are some of the environmental impacts of tidal power?
Environmental impacts of tidal power can change hydrology of a bay or estuary, which can affect vegetation and wildlife.
22. What is the major problem with using wind power?
The wind tends tend to be highly variable in time, place and intensity.
23. How are winds produced?
Differential heating of Earth's surface creates air mass with differing heat contents and densities.
24. How does topography influence winds? Explain.
Topography affects the wind's direction, velocity and duration because of things blocking wind like mountains and hills.
25. Which regions in the United States have the greatest potential for wind power development?
The Pacific Northwest coastal area and the coastal region of the northeastern United States.
26. Which country has the largest wind energy capacity installed?
The United States.
27. Modern wind turbines are big- as much as _70 m high, as tall as a _23_ story building, and have a generating capacity of more than __1 million_ watts. This is enough electricity for _500_ modern U.S. homes.
28. What are the disadvantages to wind power for the environment?
It can kill birds and can degrade area scenery.
29. What is the future outlook for wind energy generation?
It may become a major supply of energy.
Biofuels
30. What are the 3 categories of biofuels?
Firewood, organic wastes, and grown crops for liquid fuel conversion.
31. How many people worldwide still use wood as their primary source for energy?
1 billion
32. What are some of the benefits of using biofuels?
Reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and fewer pollutants released
33. What are the environmental concerns with the using of biofuels?
They require fertilizers and pesticides, pollutes and degrades land.
Geothermal Energy
34. What are the two types of geothermal energy and how do they differ?
Deep-earth high-density and shallow-earth low-density. Deep-earth uses energy within earth and shallow-earth uses solar energy.
35. How many people worldwide depend on geothermal as their energy source?
40 million
36. What type of location is ideal for high-density geothermal energy? Give an example.
Hot water transfers such as the Geysers Geothermal Field north of San Francisco.
37. Where is low-density geothermal energy mostly found? Why?
Groundwater level because it is usually cool.
38. What are the PROS and CONS of using geothermal energy?
39. What types of government incentives might encourage use of alternative energy sources? Would their widespread use affect our economic and social environment?
Paying the government to use renewable alternative energy sources, or making them pay less taxes. The use of these products would help benefit the economy by saving money and energy as well as providing healthier life qualities around the United States.
1. How was the voyage of the Beluga SkySails different than traditional industrial ship voyages?
Beluga SkySail didn't use a set of fixed masts with its traditional sails that had to be monitored constantly.
Introduction to Alternative Energy Sources
2. Fossil fuels supply approximately 90% of the energy consumed by people
3. What are the two types of non-renewable alternative energy sources? Why are they considered to be non-renewable?
Nuclear and deep-earth geothermal are considered nonrenewable sources because they are used faster than when extracted from the Earth.
4. What is low-density, near-surface geothermal energy?
A kind of renewable energy.
5. What are biofuels made from?
Biomass including crops, wood, waste, and other organic components.
6. What is the definition of “renewable” energy?
Energy that can be regenerated by the sun within a period of time useful to humans.
Solar Energy
7. How much solar energy is equal to the energy stored in a all known reserves of coal, oil and natural gas on Earth?
Ten weeks of solar energy.
8. What are passive solar energy systems? Give an example.
Systems that don't require mechanical pumps or other active technologies to move air or water such as architectural designs that enhance absorption of solar energy.
9. What are active solar energy systems? Give an example.
They are systems require mechanical power to circulate air, water or other fluids such as electric pumps.
10. What are solar collectors? What are they used for? How do they work?
Solar collectors provide space heating and are glass-covered plates that is circulated through tubes. The radiation enters the glass and is absorbed by the black background. Heat is emitted, heating fluid.
11. What are photovoltaics? What are they made out of? Explain how they work.
They convert sunlight directly into electricity and consist of photovoltaic cells. While sunlight hits these cells, thin layers of a semiconductor produce an electric current to power any building.
12. What are solar thermal generators? How do they work?
These generators focus sunlight onto water-holding containers and while the water boils, the evaporated water is used to turn the turbines.
13. What are some of the environmental concerns of solar energy?
Mining and manufacturing different metals, glass, and other fluids can cause environmental issues throughout the productiom and the release.
14. What are fuel cells? How are they created?
They are highly efficient power-generating systems that produce electricity by combining fuel and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction and are created by electrodes, platinum membranes and with H2, H2O and O2.
Water Power
15. Water power has been around since when?
The Roman Empire.
16. How much power in the United States is currently powered by hydroelectricity?
80,000 MW (mega watts)
17. What is microhydropower? Where is this helpful?
A small scale hydro-power systems, for homes systems.
18. What are the environmental benefits of hydroelectricity?
They reduce the high cost of importing electricity and can help small operations become independent.
19. What are the environmental consequences of hydroelectricity?
Interference of freshwater ecosystems, take away landscape and changes downstream flow.
Ocean Energy
20. Explain how we can harness tidal power.
Building dams that entrance to a bay or estuary. As tides rises, water is prevented from entering the bay. When there is sufficient water to run turbines, the dam is opened and water flows to run turbines.
21. What are some of the environmental impacts of tidal power?
Environmental impacts of tidal power can change hydrology of a bay or estuary, which can affect vegetation and wildlife.
22. What is the major problem with using wind power?
The wind tends tend to be highly variable in time, place and intensity.
23. How are winds produced?
Differential heating of Earth's surface creates air mass with differing heat contents and densities.
24. How does topography influence winds? Explain.
Topography affects the wind's direction, velocity and duration because of things blocking wind like mountains and hills.
25. Which regions in the United States have the greatest potential for wind power development?
The Pacific Northwest coastal area and the coastal region of the northeastern United States.
26. Which country has the largest wind energy capacity installed?
The United States.
27. Modern wind turbines are big- as much as _70 m high, as tall as a _23_ story building, and have a generating capacity of more than __1 million_ watts. This is enough electricity for _500_ modern U.S. homes.
28. What are the disadvantages to wind power for the environment?
It can kill birds and can degrade area scenery.
29. What is the future outlook for wind energy generation?
It may become a major supply of energy.
Biofuels
30. What are the 3 categories of biofuels?
Firewood, organic wastes, and grown crops for liquid fuel conversion.
31. How many people worldwide still use wood as their primary source for energy?
1 billion
32. What are some of the benefits of using biofuels?
Reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and fewer pollutants released
33. What are the environmental concerns with the using of biofuels?
They require fertilizers and pesticides, pollutes and degrades land.
Geothermal Energy
34. What are the two types of geothermal energy and how do they differ?
Deep-earth high-density and shallow-earth low-density. Deep-earth uses energy within earth and shallow-earth uses solar energy.
35. How many people worldwide depend on geothermal as their energy source?
40 million
36. What type of location is ideal for high-density geothermal energy? Give an example.
Hot water transfers such as the Geysers Geothermal Field north of San Francisco.
37. Where is low-density geothermal energy mostly found? Why?
Groundwater level because it is usually cool.
38. What are the PROS and CONS of using geothermal energy?
- Pros - renewable, low transportation, doesn't produce atmospheric pollutants
- Cons - Thermal pollution, site noise, emission of gases, disturbance of land
39. What types of government incentives might encourage use of alternative energy sources? Would their widespread use affect our economic and social environment?
Paying the government to use renewable alternative energy sources, or making them pay less taxes. The use of these products would help benefit the economy by saving money and energy as well as providing healthier life qualities around the United States.
Ch. 17
1. How much of the world’s electricity do nuclear power plant provide?
17%
2. In the United States, nuclear power plants produce about 20% of the country’s electricity and about 8% of the total energy used.
3. The nuclear power plants in France provide 80% of the country’s total energy.
What is Nuclear Energy?
4. What is nuclear energy?
Energy contained in an atom's nucleus.
5. What is the difference between fission and fusion?
Fission splits the atom and fusion recombines the atom.
6. Nuclear reactors use Fission (fusion or fission?) and which product as a source of radioactivity? uranium oxide.
7. Which type of Uranium is used for nuclear power plants?
Uranium-235
8. What does it mean that the Uranium is “enriched”?
It is increased in concentration.
9. What is a nuclear “meltdown”?
A nuclear accident where the coolant system fails.
10. Reactors that use ordinary water as the coolant are called: Moderators
11. Draw and label a diagram below to explain the nuclear power plant set-up: A Closer Look: Radioactive Decay
17%
2. In the United States, nuclear power plants produce about 20% of the country’s electricity and about 8% of the total energy used.
3. The nuclear power plants in France provide 80% of the country’s total energy.
What is Nuclear Energy?
4. What is nuclear energy?
Energy contained in an atom's nucleus.
5. What is the difference between fission and fusion?
Fission splits the atom and fusion recombines the atom.
6. Nuclear reactors use Fission (fusion or fission?) and which product as a source of radioactivity? uranium oxide.
7. Which type of Uranium is used for nuclear power plants?
Uranium-235
8. What does it mean that the Uranium is “enriched”?
It is increased in concentration.
9. What is a nuclear “meltdown”?
A nuclear accident where the coolant system fails.
10. Reactors that use ordinary water as the coolant are called: Moderators
11. Draw and label a diagram below to explain the nuclear power plant set-up: A Closer Look: Radioactive Decay
12. What is a radioisotope?
A chemical form of an element that spontaneously undergoes radioactive decay.
13. What is radioactive decay?
When the radioisotope changes from one isotope to another and emits one or more kinds of radiation.
14. What is a half-life? What is the half-life of Uranium 235?
The time required for half of the isotope to decay. The half life of Uranium-235 is 700 million years.
15. Define the following types of nuclear radiation: (Explain the safety measures needed when using each)
lead-206
Nuclear Energy and the Environment
17. What are the major problems associated with the nuclear fuel cycle?
Exposes miners to radiation, radioactive waste must be carefully handled, site selection is controversial, waste disposal controversy
Nuclear Radiation in the Environment, and it’s Effects on Human Health
18. How does nuclear radiation effect ecosystems? Explain and give an example.
By entering pathways of mineral cycling and ecological foodchains, because the radioactive particles are moved around by winds. An example is the Atomic fallout in 1950s and 1960s when the U.S were testing nuclear weapons.
19. Radiation is found naturally in what kind of materials? Give 2 examples.
Naturally in soils and rocks like granite and shale.
20. Where in the United States are background radiation levels higher?
Florida
21. In what ways are people exposed to radiation in their every day lives?
X-rays, flying planes and cosmic rays.
A Closer Look: Radiation Units and Doses
22. What is the commonly used unit for radioactive decay? Who is it named after?
Curie, named after Marie Curie.
23. What is the SI unit for radioactive decay?
Becquerel.
24. When dealing with the environmental effects of radiation, we are most interested in the actual dose of radiation delivered by radioactivity. This dose is commonly measured in terms of rads and rems. In the international system (SI), the units aregrays and sieverts
25. For gamma rays, the unit commonly used is the reonthenor in SI units, coulombus
26. What is the LD50 dose of radiation in humans?5 sieverts.
27. What happened to the women who worked in the watch factories in the early 1900’s?
They died from anemia or bone cancer from radium.
28. What are the health effects for workers in uranium mines?
High rates of lung cancer
Nuclear Power Plant Accidents
29. What is the current risk of a nuclear meltdown in the U.S. according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission?
One in ten thousand.
Three-Mile Island
30. When did the event on Three-Mile Island occur?
March 28, 1979.
31. Where is Three-Mile Island located?
Near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
32. What were some of the societal issues associated with the incident at Three-Mile Island?
The fear of another meltdown, revealed problems to nuclear power.
Chernobyl
33. Summarize the events at Chernobyl, Soviet Union
In April 28,1986 a power plant at Chernobyl had high levels of radiation. The cooling system for the Chernobyl reactor failed, causing temperatures to rise to 3000 degrees Celsius. It caused an explosion and release clouds of radioactive particles. 237 people had acute radiation sickness and 31 people died. 3 million people in the Northern Hemisphere received varying amounts of radiation from Chernobyl.
34. How many people died and how many people were diagnosed with acute radiation sickness?
237 people were diagnosed with acute radiation while 31 died.
35. How many people were exposed to radiation in the days following the accident?
3 million
36. What was the most common type of illness that resulted from the Japanese A-bomb survivors?
Leukemia.
37. What was the most common type of illness that resulted from the Chernobyl accident?
Thyroid cancer.
38. What happened to the ecosystem around the affected area following the meltdown? Radioactive-Waste Management
The vegetation within 7 km had been killed or damaged and pine trees had extensive tissue damage and contained radioactivity.
39. What is low-level radioactive waste? Where it is stored?
Low-level radioactive waste contains radioactivity in low concentrations that doesn't give environmental hazards. It is stored in near-surface burial areas.
40. What is transuranic waste? How is it created?
Waste contaminated by man-made radioactive elements. It is created when industrial trash has been contaminated.
41. What is high-level radioactive waste? Where is it stored?
High-level radioactive consists of commercial and military spent nuclear fuel. It is stored in more than a hundred sites in 40 states. 72 sites are commercial nuclear reactors.
42. What and where is Yucca Mountain? What was the plan with it?
Yucca Mountain was a place that was planned to bury nuclear waste in Nevada. The plan was to dispose the waste deep underground in Yucca Mountain.
43. What are the safety hazards associated with using Yucca Mountain to store nuclear waste?
Safety hazards associated with using Yucca Mountain is the probability of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and changes in storage environments.
The Future of Nuclear Energy
44. How much Uranium stores do we have left?
104
45. What are the PROS and CONS of using Nuclear Power?
46. What are breeder reactors?
They produce new nuclear fuel by converting waste or lower-grade uranium into fissionable material.
A chemical form of an element that spontaneously undergoes radioactive decay.
13. What is radioactive decay?
When the radioisotope changes from one isotope to another and emits one or more kinds of radiation.
14. What is a half-life? What is the half-life of Uranium 235?
The time required for half of the isotope to decay. The half life of Uranium-235 is 700 million years.
15. Define the following types of nuclear radiation: (Explain the safety measures needed when using each)
- Alpha Particle: two protons and neutrons and has greatest mass. Safety is to be far away from this particle.
- Beta Particle: electrons that travel further through air, but can be blocked by shielding like sheet metal.
- Gamma Rays: Most penetrating type of radiation. Requires thick shielding when being used.
lead-206
Nuclear Energy and the Environment
17. What are the major problems associated with the nuclear fuel cycle?
Exposes miners to radiation, radioactive waste must be carefully handled, site selection is controversial, waste disposal controversy
Nuclear Radiation in the Environment, and it’s Effects on Human Health
18. How does nuclear radiation effect ecosystems? Explain and give an example.
By entering pathways of mineral cycling and ecological foodchains, because the radioactive particles are moved around by winds. An example is the Atomic fallout in 1950s and 1960s when the U.S were testing nuclear weapons.
19. Radiation is found naturally in what kind of materials? Give 2 examples.
Naturally in soils and rocks like granite and shale.
20. Where in the United States are background radiation levels higher?
Florida
21. In what ways are people exposed to radiation in their every day lives?
X-rays, flying planes and cosmic rays.
A Closer Look: Radiation Units and Doses
22. What is the commonly used unit for radioactive decay? Who is it named after?
Curie, named after Marie Curie.
23. What is the SI unit for radioactive decay?
Becquerel.
24. When dealing with the environmental effects of radiation, we are most interested in the actual dose of radiation delivered by radioactivity. This dose is commonly measured in terms of rads and rems. In the international system (SI), the units aregrays and sieverts
25. For gamma rays, the unit commonly used is the reonthenor in SI units, coulombus
26. What is the LD50 dose of radiation in humans?5 sieverts.
27. What happened to the women who worked in the watch factories in the early 1900’s?
They died from anemia or bone cancer from radium.
28. What are the health effects for workers in uranium mines?
High rates of lung cancer
Nuclear Power Plant Accidents
29. What is the current risk of a nuclear meltdown in the U.S. according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission?
One in ten thousand.
Three-Mile Island
30. When did the event on Three-Mile Island occur?
March 28, 1979.
31. Where is Three-Mile Island located?
Near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
32. What were some of the societal issues associated with the incident at Three-Mile Island?
The fear of another meltdown, revealed problems to nuclear power.
Chernobyl
33. Summarize the events at Chernobyl, Soviet Union
In April 28,1986 a power plant at Chernobyl had high levels of radiation. The cooling system for the Chernobyl reactor failed, causing temperatures to rise to 3000 degrees Celsius. It caused an explosion and release clouds of radioactive particles. 237 people had acute radiation sickness and 31 people died. 3 million people in the Northern Hemisphere received varying amounts of radiation from Chernobyl.
34. How many people died and how many people were diagnosed with acute radiation sickness?
237 people were diagnosed with acute radiation while 31 died.
35. How many people were exposed to radiation in the days following the accident?
3 million
36. What was the most common type of illness that resulted from the Japanese A-bomb survivors?
Leukemia.
37. What was the most common type of illness that resulted from the Chernobyl accident?
Thyroid cancer.
38. What happened to the ecosystem around the affected area following the meltdown? Radioactive-Waste Management
The vegetation within 7 km had been killed or damaged and pine trees had extensive tissue damage and contained radioactivity.
39. What is low-level radioactive waste? Where it is stored?
Low-level radioactive waste contains radioactivity in low concentrations that doesn't give environmental hazards. It is stored in near-surface burial areas.
40. What is transuranic waste? How is it created?
Waste contaminated by man-made radioactive elements. It is created when industrial trash has been contaminated.
41. What is high-level radioactive waste? Where is it stored?
High-level radioactive consists of commercial and military spent nuclear fuel. It is stored in more than a hundred sites in 40 states. 72 sites are commercial nuclear reactors.
42. What and where is Yucca Mountain? What was the plan with it?
Yucca Mountain was a place that was planned to bury nuclear waste in Nevada. The plan was to dispose the waste deep underground in Yucca Mountain.
43. What are the safety hazards associated with using Yucca Mountain to store nuclear waste?
Safety hazards associated with using Yucca Mountain is the probability of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and changes in storage environments.
The Future of Nuclear Energy
44. How much Uranium stores do we have left?
104
45. What are the PROS and CONS of using Nuclear Power?
- Pros- Good for the environment because it doesn't contribute to global warming, doesn't emit gases and would greatly increase availability of fuel.
- Cons- Nuclear power unlikely to have real impact on environmental problems, can be used for weapons, uranium ore to fuel conventional nuclear reactors limited.
46. What are breeder reactors?
They produce new nuclear fuel by converting waste or lower-grade uranium into fissionable material.