Renewable Vs Non Renewable

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  • Created by: I Brooke
  • Created on: 30-05-13 15:14

Coal

Advantages

  • High world reserves
  • newer mines are highly mechanised

Disadvantages

  • releases carbon dioxide (major greenhouse gas responsible for global warming)
  • realease sulfur dioxide which is responisble for acid rain
  • non renewable 
  • mining can be difficult and dangerous
  • pits destroy land and view
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Oil

Advantages

  • Variety of uses
  • quite easy to transport
  • efficient
  • less pollution than oil

Disadvantages

  • low reserves
  • danger of spills in sea
  • explosion risk
  • non renewable
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Natural Gas

Advantages

  • least polluting of fossil fuels
  • efficient
  • easy to transport

Disadvantages

  • explosions
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Nuclear energy

classified as non renewable as its relies as uranium as fuel.

Advantages

  • uses small amounts of raw materials 
  • small amounts of waste efficient
  • fewer greenhouse gases
  • clean

Disadvantages

  • dangers of radiation
  • nuclear accidents (eg Chernobyl) raise fears
  • high cost of building and decomissioning power stations
  • problems about what to do with highly radioactive waste
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Hydro Electric Power

falling water from a dam turns turbines to generate electricty

Advantages

  • very clean
  • often in remote, sparsely populated areas
  • resevoirs can control flooding and provide water

Disadvantages

  • large areas of land flooded
  • visual pollution from pylons and dams
  • silt trapped behind dam which pollutes lake water
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Geothermal

boreholes drilled into ground to use earths natural heat to heat water which is pumped down

Advantages

  • potential sites but most in volcanic areas

Disadvantages

  • sulphuric gases released 
  • expensive to develop
  • takes a long time to start up
  • hazardous minerals from the earth might have to be bought up
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Wind Turbines

Advantages 

  • clean
  • no air pollution
  • cheap to run when set up
  • small scale and large scale shcemes possible

Disadvantages

  • Visual and noise pollution 
  • many needed to produce sufficient energy
  • winds are unpredictable and vary
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Tidal

Advantages 

  • can protect coast from erosion
  • large schemes could produce a lot of energy
  • clean, non polluting

Disadvantages

  • expensive to build
  • few suitable sites
  • disrupts coastal ecosystem
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Solar

Advantages

  • can be used in most parts of the world
  • unlimited supplies
  • can be built into new buildings
  • useful in remote areas

Disadvantages

  • expensive 
  • needs sunlight so only works at night 
  • high cost per unit electricity
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