Fossil Fuels
This term describes energy sources that will run out or replenish too slowly to be useful in a human lifetime.
What is non‑renewable energy?
This process, used in nuclear reactors, involves splitting a large atomic nucleus into smaller ones to release energy.
What is nuclear fission?
This term describes resources that can be naturally replenished and will not run out
What are renewable resources?
Renewable resources often produce less of this compared to non-renewable ones.
What is waste (or pollution)?
This renewable energy source comes from heat stored in soil, underground rocks, and fluids within Earth’s mantle.
What is geothermal energy?
These three main fossil fuels—one solid, one liquid, and one gas—are all formed from ancient organic material beneath the Earth.
What are coal, crude oil, and natural gas?
This element is mined, processed, and used as the primary fuel in nuclear fission reactors.
What is uranium?
These devices absorb sunlight during the day and convert it into heat that can be used or stored.
What are solar panels?
This free natural resource is the energy source that solar panels depend on.
What is sunlight?
Hydropower generates electricity by using the kinetic energy of this moving natural resource.
What is flowing water?
This fossil fuel is the most abundant and generates about 40% of the world’s electricity.
What is coal?
This is how long nuclear waste must be safely stored underground.
What is 10,000 to 240,000 years?
Solar panels contain these harmful materials and are very expensive to produce.
What are toxic materials?
Solar energy is less effective in areas that don't receive good amounts of this.
What is direct sunlight?
A potential danger of tapping geothermal hydrothermal reservoirs is that it may trigger these geological events.
What are Earthquakes?
This process, used to turn crude oil into products like gasoline and diesel, involves heating it until it vaporizes and separating it into components.
What is refining (distillation)?
When a nuclear power plant reaches the end of its life, this term refers to shutting it down and safely managing its radioactive materials.
What is decommissioning?
Wind turbines generate this when blades turn in the wind.
What is electricity?
This is the name for a large group of wind turbines.
What is a wind farm?
This is how turbines are turned in geothermal energy.
What is injecting hot rocks with steam?
This controversial method of extracting natural gas involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals underground—causing wastewater pollution, methane emissions, and even increased earthquakes.
What is fracking (hydraulic fracturing)?
These are the benefits of nuclear energy.
What are less CO2 emissions?
This term refers to organic matter from living things such as wood, crop waste, and manure.
What is biomass?
Growing crops for biofuels requires large quantities of these two essential resources.
What are land and water?
These are our 5 types of renewable energy.
What is Hydropower, Geothermal, Solar, Wind, and Biomass/Biofuel?