READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE

Subjects: Geography & English

Sources of renewable energy
Renewable is a term applied to natural resources and refers to those resources that
can be renewed or replenished in a short period of time. Renewable energy is also called
clean or green energy because it does not pollute the air or harm the environment. As
the demand for energy increases renewable energy will play an important role in supplying
the worlds clean energy needs. Sustainable energy sources are often regarded as
including all renewable sources (naturally replenished) such as sunlight, wind, rain, and
geothermal heat. Included in this definition is electricity and heat generated from solar,
wind, ocean, hydropower, biomass (energy from plants), geothermal (energy from inside
the earth), and biofuels and hydrogen derived from renewable resources. These resources
usually also include technologies that improve energy efficiency. Fossil fuels are not
considered sustainable energy sources because human consumption of fossil fuels
creates a decrease in this type of fuel, not a constant or continual growth.
Solar energy is a powerful source of energy coming from the sun. For billions of
years, the sun has produced energy. It is estimated that the sunlight that shines on the
Earth for one hour is capable of meeting the energy demands of the whole world for an
entire year! Can you imagine that? Solar energy can be converted into other forms of
energy, most commonly heat and electricity. Today, people use solar energy as an integral
part of their lives and for all sorts of things ranging from heating water in homes to space
heating in buildings, from drying farm products to generating electrical energy, and even
heating their swimming pools! The sun can provide us with all the energy we need, for
free ! The main problem is to collect and store this energy in an economical way. Today,
we can capture energy from the sun with plates or cells. Collectors put on roofs of houses
and other buildings turn solar energy into heat. With this energy we can heat up water or
the air inside. Photovoltaics is the process of using solar energy directly to make electricity
using specific devices. How does solar energy actually work? The suns light is harnessed
by passive solar systems for heating or cooling buildings, flat plate solar collectors, and
solar concentrator power systems. The suns heat is used to create steam, which then
turns a turbine to produce electricity. The drawbacks to solar energy are the large area
required for collection and the manner in which it comes to the surface of the earth.
Wind is classified as sustainable because wind will continually be produced as long
as there is the sun shining on the Earth in orbit. Wind is caused by the uneven heating of
the earths surface by the sun. Windmills have been used for centuries to grind grain and

pump water out of areas that have been flooded, like the Netherlands or the northern parts
of Germany. Today, large wind generators turn the power of wind into electricity. Such
devices, however, can only be used in places with strong and constant winds. The use of
wind-generated electricity is growing around the world.
Biomass is energy derived from plants and animals. Biomass comes in many forms,
the most common being wood. When we use plants as a source of energy we are
converting theirstored energy from the sun. Using the methane gas given off by landfills
and animal waste is also becoming more common. Another increasingly popular form of
biomass is in the form of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, which is also derived from
plants and animals. By undergoing the process of photosynthesis, the chlorophyll in plants
with the help of the energy of the sun converts the carbon dioxide from both the water and
air from the ground into carbohydrates (complex compounds composed of carbon,
hydrogen, and oxygen). When these carbohydrates are burned, they change back into
carbon dioxide and water to release the suns energy. In addition to the typical process of
burning, biomass can be changed into liquid fuels or cooked in a process called
gasification to make combustible gases. Scientists are exploring which crops in these
contemporary times are best suited for energy generation. More efficient and cleaner ways
to use biomass are also being studied.
Water also gives us energy. The energy contained in running water can be turned
into electricity. Water, which is impounded or held behind a dam, is released through a
turbine that spins a generator producing electricity. Hydropower is a clean, renewable
energysource which converts kinetic energy from water (acting as potential energy that is
stored) into electricity by turning a turbine. The amount of available energy in water is
determined by the flow of the water and the fall of the water. This is one of the oldest
sources of harnessing a source of energy by human beings. In fact, water wheels were
used over 2000 years ago. Electrical power can be generated from the oceans in the
forms of tidal power, wave power, ocean thermal conversion, ocean currents, ocean winds,
and salinity gradients. Most of these have a disadvantage. Specific to note are the riverbased hydroelectric dams that have been known to upset the natural wildlife of the region.
Tidal-based hydroelectric plants can cause widespread wildlife problems as the time span
between low and high tides is disrupted, and boats are left stranded in low tides.
Geothermal energy uses heat generated by the earths interior. By drilling down into
the Earths crust, much like we drill for oil, we can use that heat to generate electricity.
Geothermal is a good source for heating homes and buildings, heat from the earth, is used
as an efficient heat source in small applications like greenhouses. This heat energy can be
found almost anywhere from the dirt in our own backyards to remote wells. In most cases,
mineral water is heated from the earth. Geothermal heat is an important source of energy
in countries that lie in volcanic areas, like Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, California or the
Philippines. Geysers are eruptions of hot water that come to the surface. Such naturally
heated water is used to heat homes and greenhouses. Using geothermal energy is
affordable, sustainable, and a good choice for the environment.

DICTIONARY
source - where something comes from - rdo
sustainable - able to last or continue for a long time - trwae
renewable - something you can use over and over again - odnawialne
fossil fuels - forms of energy like coal or oil that have been produced by dead
plants or animals over millions of years paliwa kopalne
convert - to turn into - przemienia
generate - to create by a vital or natural process - generowa
store - to put away for a longer time - magazynowa
capture - gain win especially through effort zdoby, przechwyci
economical - cheap - ekonomiczny
photovoltaics a field of semiconductor technology involving the direct conversion
of electromagnetic radiation as sunlight, into electricity - fotowoltaika
harnessed used - wykorzystany
drawback disadvantage - wada
steam - the hot gas that water produces when it gets hot para wodna
surface - the upper layer of an area of land or water - powierzchnia
windmill - a structure that has parts which are turned around by the wind and that is
used to produce power, pump water - wiatrak
generator - a machine that produces electricity - agregat prdotwrczy
electricity - the power that is carried in wires and cables; it gives us light, heat and
makes machines work prd elektryczny
derived - received or obtained from a source or origin - pochodny
landfill - an area where waste is buried under the ground skadowisko, wysypisko
mieci
common - widespread, normal - powszechny
carbon dioxide - a gas that is produced when people and animals breathe out or
when certain fuels are burned and that is used by plants for energy dwutlenek
wgla
carbohydrates - any one of various substances found in certain foods (such as
bread, rice, and potatoes) that provide your body with heat and energy and are
made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen - wglowodany
hydrogen - a gas that forms water when mixed with oxygen - wodr
gasification - conversion into gas; especially conversion of coal into natural gas gazyfikacja
turbine - a motor in which gas or water moves a wheel around - turbina
current a continuous movement of water in the same direction - prd morski
tidal - of, relating to, caused by, or having tides - pywowa
hydroelectric plant a factory generating electricity by conversion of the energy of
running water - elektrownia wodna
geothermal - heat that comes from inside the earth - geotermalna
geyser - a hole in the ground from which hot water and steam come out gejzer

Exercise 1 True or False

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Fossil fuels are renewable energy sources.

..
Heat or electricity are kinds of energy converted from the solar energy
Wind generators turn the power of wind into hydrogen.
..
Energy coming from plants and animals is called biomass. ..
Using hydropower doesnt have any disadvantages ..
Geothermal energy uses heat from outside the Earth. ..

..

Exercise 2 Match the halves of sentences.

1. Collectors put on roofs of buildings A. in places with strong and constant

turn solar energy into heat
winds.
2. Wind generators can be used
B. depends on the flow of the water and
the fall of the water.
3. The most common form of biomass
C. with the use of geothermal energy.
4. The amount of available energy in D. is friendly for the environment.
water
5. Mineral water is usually heated
E. use solar energy to heat them.
6. Renewable energy

F. is wood.

Answers:
Exercise 1: 1.F

2.T

Exercise 2: 1.E

2.A

3.F 4.T

3.F

4.B

5.F

5.C

6.F

6.D