13 February 2023

Using Energy Resources

• WALT (We Are Learning To):

1. Describe the main energy sources available on Earth.

2. Explain the ways in which the different energy

resources are used.

• Starter Activity: Name some energy resources

available to us on Earth? Which of your energy
resources are renewable or non-renewable? What is
the difference between renewable and non-renewable
resources?
 WILF (What I’m Looking For)
• ALL will give examples of some energy
resources available to us.

• MOST will explain the difference between

renewable and non-renewable energy resources.

• SOME will evaluate the pros and cons of the

different renewable energy resources.
 What is the National Grid?

The National grid is a network of cables connecting power

stations to homes.
 What are Power stations?

Power stations generate the electricity we need by burning

coal and natural gas. We also have nuclear power stations
that use uranium metal to produce electricity.
 Types of energy resource
There are two types of energy resource:

Renewable Non-renewable

Renewable energy resources Non-renewable energy

will never run out. resources will eventually run
out.
Examples: w___
ind and S__.
un
Examples: c___
oal and o_.
il
 Non-renewable Energy

Coal Oil
These are the These were
three fossils fuels formed millions of
that we use for years ago from
energy. dead animals and
plants. These will
Natural gas soon run out.
 Renewable Energy

Tidal Wave
Wind Geothermal

Hydroelectric
Solar
Biomass
Renewable or non-renewable?
 TASK 1
1. Get into groups of FOUR and assign a number
from 1 – 4 for each member.
2. Each member to research an energy resource
and produce a fact sheet on ONE PPT slide.
3. After the time limit, each member needs to
teach the other 3 members about their
energy resource.
4. Things to include are: a) where does the
energy come from? b) How does it work? c)
What are the pros? d) What are the cons?
5. The energy resources are: tidal; geothermal;
hydroelectric and Biomass(Biofuel)
Energy Resources
Renewable Source
Wind Sun
Solar Sun
Wave Sun
Tidal Moon
Hydroelectric Sun
Biomass Sun
Geothermal Stored heat energy
in the Earth
Wind Turbines

Wind turbines can be found

on land on in the sea.

They use the force of the

wind to drive turbine blades
which turn the generators
to produce electricity.

The faster the wind speed,

the more electricity is
produced.
Wind Power Station
 Wind Power
• The force of the wind can be used to
drive turbine blades.

• These turbine blades then turn a

generator which produces electricity.

• As the wind speed increases, more

electricity is generated.
 Wind Energy – energy from the wind
Using wind turbines, we can turn the kinetic energy of the wind into
electrical energy which we can use in our homes. This is ‘wind
energy’.

+ Renewable
+ No pollution, because nothing
gets burned
+ Turbines are quite cheap and
easy to build, so they can be
used even in poor countries
– Turbines can be ugly and noisy
– Only works if it’s quite windy!
If the wind stops, you get no
energy.
 Wind Power
Advantages Disadvantages
Renewable Unreliable
No acid rain Few areas suitable
Cheap to run once Low power
built energy source

No global warming Noisy and unsightly

Expensive to build
Large area required
Kills migratory birds
 Hands on activity

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/energy-forms-and-
changes/latest/energy-forms-and-changes_en.html
 Wave Power

Waves can be used to drive a turbine, which turns a

generator and produces electricity. Cables need to connect
the generator with the grid system on the shore.
Wave Energy – energy from sea waves
The sea’s waves have kinetic energy. Using machines that bob up and
down in the waves, this energy can be turned into electrical energy
which we can use in our homes.

wave energy
machines bobbing
up and down in the
waves

– Need lots of machines to get a

reasonable amount of energy
+ Renewable – The machines costs a lot of
+ No pollution, because money
nothing gets burned – The machines can look ugly
– The machines can be damaged
by storms
 Tidal Power

The Moon produces two high tides nearly every day. Tidal
power stations trap the water from each high tide behind a
barrier or barrage. The water is then released into the sea
through turbines. The turbines drive generators which
produce electricity.
 Tidal Energy – energy from sea tides
If you’ve ever been to the coast, you may have noticed that the sea
level goes up and down, because of tides. When the tide is high, the
water has lots of gravitational potential energy, which we can turn
into electrical energy to use in our homes.
1. At high tide, we trap the water behind a
dam.
2. At low tide, the water is released, and its
energy is used to generate electricity.

+ Renewable
+ No pollution, because nothing
gets burned
+ Reliable, because there are
always two tides every day
+ Cheap to run, once it’s built
– Costs a lot to build the dam
– The dam may cause local flooding
 Wave and Tidal Power
• A wave generator uses waves to move up and down
which drives a turbine, which drives a generator.

• In tidal power, high tides are trapped behind a

barrier .

• The water is then released through turbines which

turn generators, which produce electricity.
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectric Power Station
 Hydroelectricity

Advantages Disadvantages
Renewable Destroys habitats

No acid rain Few areas suitable

No global warming Unsightly

Cheap to run once built Expensive to build

Some systems pump Large area required
water back up at night
with the surplus
electricity – energy
efficient.
 Hydroelectric Power
• Rainwater can be collected in reservoirs.

• The reservoir can be opened and the flowing water is

used to turn turbines.

• Therefore we use the gravitational potential energy

(GPE) of the water to turn turbines.

• The turbines then turn generators to produce

electricity.
Hydroelectric Energy – energy from rivers
The water flowing in a river has kinetic energy. We can turn this into
electrical energy to use in our homes. We usually need to build a
dam, and let the water flow through it gradually.

+ Renewable – Costs a lot of money to

+ No pollution, because nothing build a dam
gets burned – The dam can ruin the local
+ We can store the water up environment, because it
high, and then whenever we changes where the water
need the energy we can let the naturally flows. Some
water out animals and plants may die.
 Solar Cells
We can use the Sun’s energy to
generate electricity using solar
cells.

We can also use the Sun’s

energy to heat up water
directly in solar heating panels.
Solar Cell

Solar Heating Panels

 Solar energy
Solar cells are very expensive to make, but cost
nothing to run.
They only provide energy at low power, so can be used
to power watches and calculators.

We need lots of solar cells to generate power that is

useful and lots of sunshine.
 Solar Energy – energy from the Sun
The Earth gets heat and light energy from the sun all the time. Can
we use it – yes we can! The Sun’s energy can either be:
1. changed into electrical energy to use in homes, using solar cells;
2. or used to heat water for homes, using solar panels.

+ Renewable
+ No pollution, because
nothing gets burned
– Solar cells and solar
panels are expensive
– Only works if it’s sunny!
 Solar Power
Advantages Disadvantages
Renewable Unreliable – why?
No acid rain Few areas suitable
No global warming Low power energy
source
Toxic chemicals in
Cheap to run solar cells can
once built damage habitats
Expensive to build
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy comes
from energy released by
radioactive substances
deep inside the Earth.

The heat energy released

warms up the surrounding
rock deep inside the
Earth.

We can then use this heat

to turn water into steam
and produce electricity.
Geothermal Power Station
Geothermal Power Station
Cold water is pumped
down to the hot rocks.

This heats up the water

and produces steam.

The steam rises to ground

level and drives the
turbines to turn the
generators.

This produces electricity.

 Geothermal Power Station

Advantages?
Warm water Renewable
Cold water
comes back up
pumped No acid rain or
and used to
down greenhouse effect
turn turbines
Cheap once built

Disadvantages?
Few areas suitable
Expensive to build
Water heated
by hot rocks
Geothermal Energy – energy from the Earth
Deep underground, the Earth’s rocks are naturally very hot. We can
turn their heat energy into electrical energy to use in our homes –
we call this ‘geothermal energy’.

1. Cold water is pumped below the ground.

2. Hot rocks heat the water, turning it into
steam.
3. The steam is used to generate electricity.

+ Renewable
+ No pollution, because nothing
gets burned
+ Doesn’t damage the
environment
– Very few places in the world
where you can do this
– Costs a lot of money to drill
deep into the ground
 Biomass Energy – energy from plants
The chemical potential energy stored in things that were once alive
(e.g. trees) can be turned into heat energy by burning them. (We can
also turn it into electrical energy to use in our homes.)
1. Trees absorb the sun’s energy. The trees
change this energy into chemical energy,
which they store inside themselves.
2. When we burn wood, we turn this energy
into heat, which is useful for cooking and
heating.

+ Renewable – as long as we keep

planting trees to replace the ones
we cut down
+ Doesn’t need any special
equipment, so it can be used very
easily, even in poor countries
+ Doesn’t add to the greenhouse
effect
– Large areas of land are needed to
grow enough trees