Energy Basics
The ability to do work is called this
What is energy?
A microwave uses high kW but runs for a short amount of this
What is time?
This fossil fuel is one of the most common traditional energy sources
What is coal?
Solar panels generate electricity from heat—true or false?
What is false?
Wind energy works by spinning these
What are blades (or turbines)?
This measures how fast energy is used
What is kilowatt (kW)?
A refrigerator uses low kW but runs for this duration
What is all day?
This fuel is commonly used in power plants and burns cleaner than coal
What is natural gas?
This type of solar converts sunlight directly into electricity
What is photovoltaic (PV)?
Hydropower uses moving this to generate electricity
What is water?
This measures total energy used over time
What is kilowatt-hour (kWh)?
A device uses 2 kW for 2 hours and another uses 1 kW for 4 hours. Which uses more energy?
What is neither—they use the same (4 kWh)?
This energy source uses uranium to produce electricity
What is nuclear?
This large-scale solar system uses heat to generate electricity
What is concentrated solar power (CSP)?
Wind turbines generate electricity even when spinning slowly—true or false?
What is false? (they need minimum wind speed / cut-in speed)
In the car analogy, kW represents this
What is speed?
This is the formula used to calculate energy use
What is kW × time = kWh?
Solar, wind, and hydro are all part of this category
What are renewable energy sources?
This device converts DC electricity into AC electricity
What is an inverter?
This type of hydropower does NOT require a large dam
What is run-of-river, or micro-hydro?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
What is transformed?
Two homes use the same total kWh in a day. One has a much higher peak kW. Which home stresses the grid more?
What is the home with higher kW?
This energy source is NOT renewable but is still considered "clean"
What is nuclear?
The movement of electrons caused by sunlight is called this
What is the photovoltaic effect?
One major environmental concern of hydropower is its impact on this
What are ecosystems (or rivers/wildlife habitats), or wildlife?