1.9 Non-renewable energy resources
9 exam questions worth 23 marks. Write your answer, open the mark scheme, then give yourself the marks you earned. Your answers are saved on this device.
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Which of these is a non-renewable energy resource?
Choose one answer.
Correct Not quite: the answer is Natural gas
Mark scheme
C: natural gas
Model answer
Natural gas (C).
Explain what is meant by a non-renewable energy resource.
Mark scheme
a resource that is being used up faster than it is replaced (1); will run out (1)
Model answer
A resource that is used up faster than it can be replaced, so it will eventually run out.
Describe how a coal-fired power station generates electricity.
Mark scheme
coal is burned to heat water (1); the water boils to make steam (1); steam turns a turbine (1); turbine turns a generator (1)
Model answer
Coal is burned to heat water in a boiler. The water becomes steam, which turns a turbine. The turbine turns a generator, which produces electricity.
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide. Explain why this is a problem.
Mark scheme
carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas (1); causes global warming / climate change (1)
Model answer
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, so adding more to the atmosphere causes global warming and climate change.
Give one advantage and one disadvantage of using nuclear fuel to generate electricity.
Mark scheme
advantage: no carbon dioxide produced / reliable / large amount of energy from a small amount of fuel (1); disadvantage: radioactive waste / risk of accidents / expensive to build or decommission (1)
Model answer
Advantage: it produces no carbon dioxide while generating electricity. Disadvantage: it produces radioactive waste that is dangerous for thousands of years.
Explain why gas-fired power stations are often used to meet a sudden increase in demand for electricity.
Mark scheme
gas power stations can be started up / switched on quickly (1); they do not depend on the weather (1)
Model answer
Gas power stations can be started up in minutes and do not rely on the weather, so they can supply extra electricity quickly.
A coal-fired power station has an input power of 1500 MW and an efficiency of 36%. Calculate the electrical power output and the power that is wasted.
Mark scheme
electrical output = 0.36 × 1500 (1); 540 MW (1); wasted power = 1500 − 540 = 960 MW (1)
Model answer
Electrical output = 0.36 × 1500 = 540 MW. Wasted power = 1500 − 540 = 960 MW.
Describe how oil and natural gas were formed.
Mark scheme
from the remains of tiny sea creatures / plankton (1); which sank to the sea bed and were buried under sediment (1); heat and pressure over millions of years (1)
Model answer
They were formed from the remains of tiny sea creatures that sank to the sea bed and were buried under layers of sediment. Over millions of years, heat and pressure changed them into oil and gas.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of generating electricity using a gas-fired power station and a nuclear power station.
Mark scheme
gas: quick to start up / cheaper to build (1); gas: releases carbon dioxide (1); nuclear: no carbon dioxide while operating / large amount of energy from small amount of fuel (1); nuclear: radioactive waste / expensive to build and decommission / risk of accidents (1)
Model answer
A gas power station is cheaper to build and can start quickly to meet demand, but it releases carbon dioxide and the gas will run out. A nuclear power station produces no carbon dioxide while it is operating and uses very little fuel, but it produces radioactive waste, and is expensive to build and decommission.
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