🔥 Fossil Fuels & Nonrenewables
This fuel source is most commonly used for heating and cooking in less developed countries.
Biomass
This energy source uses heat from beneath Earth’s surface to generate electricity.
Geothermal energy
One billion in power of 10
10 ^ 9
This fossil fuel extraction method can contaminate groundwater
hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
This vehicle technology uses hydrogen to generate electricity.
hydrogen fuel cells
The correct order of coal formation from lowest to highest carbon content is:
Peat → Lignite → Bituminous → Anthracite
Passive solar heating relies on this instead of mechanical devices.
Materials that absorb and store solar energy
The formula for percent change is:
(New − Old) ÷ Old × 100
This environmental problem is caused by sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Acid rain
This government policy improves energy efficiency in vehicles.
Higher fuel economy standards
The extraction of natural gas using hydraulic fracturing most often leads to this environmental problem.
Groundwater contamination
A negative consequence of photovoltaic solar panels is related to this process.
Manufacturing (producing them) using toxic metals
An oil sands deposit will take 48,000 days to fully extract at a constant rate.
Calculate how many years will be needed to fully extract the recoverable volume of bitumen from the oil sands.
(Assume 365 days per year.)
Step 1: Write the conversion
1 year=365 days
Step 2: Convert days to years
Years=48,000 days/ 365 days per year
Step 3: Solve
Years≈131.5
This coastal impact can occur due to dams reducing sediment flow.
beach coastal EROSION
This system uses building materials to absorb and store solar energy
Passive solar heating
Nuclear energy is considered nonrenewable because of this reason.
Uranium fuel is finite / limited supply
This energy source is renewable but location-dependent and commonly found near tectonic plate boundaries.
geothermal
A facility produces 24 million barrels of synthetic crude oil per month.
Producing one barrel of synthetic crude oil requires 3 barrels of heated freshwater.
Calculate the number of barrels of freshwater needed each year to supply this demand.
Step 1: Convert monthly oil production to yearly production
24 million barrels/month×12 months/year=
288 million barrels/year
Step 2: Multiply by freshwater use per barrel
288 million barrels oil/year×3 barrels water/barrel oil=864 million barrels water/year288
864 million barrels of freshwater per year are needed.
This solar energy drawback occurs during panel manufacturing.
Making solar panels involves using toxic metals which can end up in the environment causing harm to ecosystems and human health.
This solar system uses solar panels to generate electricity.
active solar heating
This energy source forms best in environments like river deltas with high organic productivity.
Petroleum (oil)
To maximize electricity production from rooftop solar panels, they should be installed in this way.
Active systems, unshaded areas, facing south
It is estimated that an oil sands deposit contains 84 billion barrels of recoverable bitumen.
The rate of extraction from the deposit is approximately 2.0 million barrels of bitumen per day.
Assuming the above extraction rate, calculate how many days will be needed to extract the recoverable volume of bitumen from the oil sands.
Step 1: Convert units so they match
84 billion barrels = 84,000 million barrels
Step 2: Use the rate formula
Days = Total amount/ rate of extraction
Step 3: Solve
42,000 days
Describe TWO environmental consequences, other than habitat loss, that may result from oil sands extraction or the transportation of synthetic crude oil.
✔ Name the impact
✔ Briefly explain how extraction or transport causes it
Water pollution from tailings ponds or spills
Groundwater contamination
Increased greenhouse gas emissions
Air pollution from refining and transport
Thermal pollution from heated wastewater
Soil contamination from leaks or pipeline failures
This incentive increases renewable energy adoption by reducing cost barriers.
Subsidies / tax credits