Renewable Energy Webquest

Thomas Foster
Use the following link to help you complete the questions on
energy.
o http://www.eia.gov/kids/energyfacts/index.html
1)How do scientists define energy?
Energy is the ability to do work.
2)Explain the law of conservation of energy. Give examples of
energy transformations.
The law of conservation of energy says energy can never be
created nor destroyed, but can change form. Chemical energy
can convert to kinetic energy in an explosion.
3)What is energy efficiency?
Amount of useful energy you get from any machine.
4)What does it mean for energy to be nonrenewable?
Renewable?
Nonrenewable energy is limited, but renewable is naturally
replenished.

5)According to the U.S. Energy Consumption by Energy

Source, 2012, what percentage of energy that we use is
renewable? What percent is nonrenewable?
Renewable- around 9.3%; Nonrenewable- around 91%.

Renewable Energy Sources

6)What are the 6 forms of renewable energy resources?
Biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind, and tidal.
Solar

7)What is solar energy?

Energy that comes from the sun.
8)Solar energy is converted into what energy?
Heat and electricity
9)Give two examples of how solar energy is used. Heat water for
homes or to heat spaces in homes.
10)

What do solar cells do? Change sunlight to electricity

directly
11)

What do solar power plants do? Generate electricity by

heating a fluid to steam that turns a turbine.

12)

What are the 2 main disadvantages to solar energy? Large

surface area, not constant.

13)

Explain how solar energy is beneficial for the

environment. Has absolutely zero waste and pollution, and can

be used for forever with no damage being done to the
environment.
Wind.
14) What is wind and how is it caused? The energy from
moving air caused by the uneven heating of Earths surface.

15)

What did American colonists use windmills for? Grind

grain, pump water, and cut wood.

16)

What do wind machines produce? Energy

17)

Describe a wind power plant. The blades on the turbines

catch and spin the wind to create energy. Wind power plants
are just a cluster of these.
18)

Describe the negative effects of wind machines. Large,

ugly, can catch fire, require lots of work, can cause bird death,
etc.

Geothermal
19) What does the word geothermal mean? earth heat
20)

What is geothermal energy? Energy from heat within the

Earth.
21)

Geothermal energy is generated in the earths core.

22)

Where is geothermal energy found? Volcanoes, hot

springs, and geysers mostly.

23)

Name 2 ways people have used direct geothermal energy?

Hot springs for bathing and cooking. It can also be piped

directly into buildings for heat.
24)

Describe how has Iceland used geothermal energy? They

use a district heating system that directly uses geothermal

energy for heat.
Biomass
25) What does Biomass mean and what does it contain?
Organic matter that comes from plants and animals.
26)

Name 5 things that are biomass materials. Wood, crops,

animal manure, human sewage, municipal waste.

27)

What is the most common biomass material? Wood

28)

84% of wood energy is used where? Industry, commercial

businesses, and electric power producers.

29)

How can biomass energy be negative to the environment?

It can release damaging gas to the environment.

Hydroelectric.
30) Hydroelectric power generates what type of energy?
Electrical.

31)

What 3 states hold over one-half of the total U.S.

hydroelectric capacity for electricity is Washington, Oregon,

and California.
32)

Most dams in the United States were not built to provide

electricity, but for irrigation and flood control.

Ocean
33) Tides are the rising and falling of the ocean shore. What
are tides caused by? Gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
34)

Compare wind turbines and wave turbines. Wave turbines

are practically the same thing as wind turbines, but are much
stronger.
35)

Not only could the ocean provide us with tidal energy, but

thermal energy.
36)

What is Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion? A system

operating a turbine to produce electricity.

37)

Since the ocean expands almost two-thirds of the Earth, it

makes sense to use that open ocean to provide us with energy.

What are the two forms of energy have scientists considered
placing over the open ocean?
__________________________________________________
___________________________
Use of Energy.
38)

What are the 4 areas in which energy is used? Electricity,

heating, transportation, and manufacturing.

Residential- homes.
39)

List the 5 ways in which energy is used in our homes.

Space heating, water heating, electronics, refrigeration, and air

conditioning.
40)

What is the most used type of energy in the home? Space

heating

Saving Energy
Energy Efficiency
41) How much energy does the United States use? 97
quadrillion Btu

42)

The average American consumes 4 to 5 times more

energy than the world average.

43)

Identify 5 different ways in which we can conserve

energy. Turning lights off when you leave a room, recycling

aluminum cans, not leaving things plugged in when they dont
need to be, turning machines off when they arent being used,
and turning your car off when its not being used.