Deck 31: Sun, Wind, Water, and Earth Energy Fueled by the Sun

Question 1

A criticism of wind turbine technology is that ____________________.

A)its electricity is not useful by the consumer
B)its use is not sustainable
C)they are unsightly to look at
D)they are unable to produce electricity at night
E)All of these answers are correct.

Answer 1

they are unsightly to look at

Question 2

What factors make wind energy imperfect as an energy source?

A)Wind is intermittent.
B)Wind turbines are expensive to build.
C)Wind turbines can create noise.
D)Some people think turbines are an eyesore.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Answer 2

All of these answers are correct.

Question 3

Which the energy source is most renewable?

A)coal
B)biomass
C)oil
D)natural gas
E)nuclear energy

Answer 3

biomass

Question 4

Has Samsø become completely independent of fossil fuels,and if not,what is the country doing to accomplish this goal?

Question 5

In 2016,how much energy used by the human population came from renewable resources?

A)3%
B)9%
C)15%
D)25%
E)40%

Question 6

What is the relationship between the wind turbines and the automobiles used on Samsø?

A)They drive only electric cars.
B)They drive only cars produced on the island by wind power.
C)The clean energy produced by the turbines offsets the fossil fuels used by the cars.
D)The cars run on wind power.
E)There is no relationship between the cars and the wind turbines.

Question 7

Wind turbines in Texas are able to provide power for roughly how many homes?

A)1,000
B)500,000
C)3 million
D)5 million
E)1 billion

Question 8

Why didn't Samsø choose to rely on electric or hydrogen-powered automobiles?

A)Electricity was too expensive.
B)The island is so large that the cars would run out of charge or fuel easily.
C)The technologies were too expensive and inefficient to be feasible.
D)The technology did not exist when they were proposing their plan.
E)No one drives cars on the island; it is too small.

Question 9

The largest segment of renewable energy is ____________________.

A)solar energy
B)biomass
C)hydroelectric energy
D)geothermal energy
E)wind

Question 10

Which of the following are involved in wind turbine technology?

A)placing long blades at a height that catches the wind
B)designing wind blades to allow for maximum lift for rotation
C)internal gearing to convert the blade rotation into the turning of a generator
D)a spinning generator that produces an electric current
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 11

_____________________ energy is renewable and has a low environmental impact.

A)Sustainable
B)Reusable
C)Renewable
D)Fossil fuel

Question 12

Which energy sources will see the biggest increases as costs decline for the technologies?

A)wind and hydropower
B)wind and solar
C)solar and geothermal
D)solar and hydropower
E)hydropower and geothermal

Question 13

The earliest renewable energy source used by humans was ___________.

A)biomass
B)solar
C)wind
D)geothermal
E)hydropower

Question 14

Which statement about wind turbines' threat to birds is TRUE?

A)Every year,domestic cats kill more birds than wind turbines do.
B)Wind turbines threaten birds but not bats.
C)Wind turbines kill more birds than communication towers do.
D)Because of their low risk to birds,engineers do not give much thought to how wind turbines are placed.
E)All of these answers are true.

Question 15

___________________ energy is replenished over short time scales or is perpetually available.

A)Sustainable
B)Reusable
C)Renewable
D)Fossil fuel

Question 16

Refer to Infographic 3.What is the correct order of the steps used to generate electricity in a wind turbine? I.Rotating blades turn a shaft inside the turbine.
II)A spinning generator produces electrical current.
III)Wind turns turbine blades.
IV)The shaft is attached to a higher-speed gear that turns the generator.

A)I,III,IV,II
B)I,II,III,IV
C)III,II,I,IV
D)III,I,IV,II
E)II,IV,I,III

Question 17

Why is the unit barrels of oil equivalents (BOE)used in examining energy patterns?

Question 18

In the United States,we rely on fossil fuels for _____ of our total energy.

A)50%
B)60%
C)70%
D)80%
E)90%

Question 19

A sustainable energy source has which of the following characteristics?

A)It is renewable.
B)It has a low environmental footprint.
C)It is affordable to the consumer.
D)All of these answers are correct.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 20

Wind turbines create electric energy by ____________________.

A)converting wind to steam in order to turn a generator
B)converting wind,through a series of gears,to turn a generator
C)allowing wind to blow directly into a generator to turn it
D)All of these answers are correct.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 21

Why does a run-of-the-river hydroelectric system have less impact on aquatic systems than a giant dam?

Question 22

Iceland uses geothermal energy to produce electricity and heat.Why didn't the people of Samsø choose this energy source?

A)It is very expensive to use.
B)It isn't a very efficient energy source.
C)It works only in areas close to hot zones or fault lines like Iceland is.
D)It can't be used to produce electricity.
E)It is too cold in Samsø to use geothermal energy.

Question 23

Which renewable energy source has the greatest impact on the local environment?

A)solar energy
B)wind
C)geothermal energy
D)biomass
E)hydropower

Question 24

Which renewable resource supplies more electricity to the human population than any other single renewable resource?

A)solar energy
B)wind
C)geothermal energy
D)biomass
E)hydropower

Question 25

LED lightbulbs are the most energy efficient way to light your home,as they use ______ of the energy of a comparable compact fluorescent bulb.

A)1/2
B)1/3
C)1/4
D)2/3
E)3/4

Question 26

__________________ cells convert solar energy directly into electricity.

A)Passive
B)Photovoltaic
C)Active
D)Thermoelectric

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT true of geothermal energy?

A)Geothermal projects can cause earthquakes.
B)Home-based geothermal projects can be expensive to install but have a relatively short payback time.
C)Geothermal projects are dangerous because they can release toxic fumes from deep inside the Earth.
D)Geothermal projects are entirely dependent on the locations of hot zones in the Earth's crust.

Question 28

Geothermal power plants harness ________________ released from hydrothermal reservoirs to spin turbines to produce electricity.

A)steam
B)natural gas
C)carbon dioxide
D)oil
E)radiation

Question 29

How is electricity produced in a dry steam geothermal power plant?

Question 30

What are the differences between active solar approaches and passive solar approaches?

Question 31

Explain why wind and water energy sources are considered an indirect form of solar energy.

Question 32

Which statement about solar energy is correct?

A)Wind power is an indirect form of solar energy.
B)If just 4% of the world's desert were covered in photovoltaic cells,the world's electricity needs would be met.
C)Photovoltaic cells are becoming cheaper.
D)Solar energy can be harnessed through active or passive technologies.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 33

How do geothermal power plants work?

A)They actively move heat from underground into an overlying structure in order to remove or add heat to the structure.
B)They utilize steam released from hydrothermal reservoirs to spin turbines and produce electricity.
C)They use the heat from hot rocks located in earthquake zones to heat coal.
D)They use heat from volcanic eruptions to boil water and create steam that can power a turbine.
E)They funnel hot steam into people's homes so that it can be used as a heat source.

Question 34

What makes solar energy an unreliable energy source?

A)Photovoltaic cells have a lot of moving parts that produce noise.
B)Sunlight is intermittent,especially in high-latitude locations.
C)It has expensive start-up costs.
D)All of these answers are correct.
E)Sunlight is intermittent and solar energy has expensive start-up costs.

Question 35

________________ energy is the heat stored underground,contained in either rocks or fluids.

A)Wind
B)Hydroelectric
C)Biomass
D)Geothermal
E)Solar

Question 36

Which of the following converts the energy of the Sun directly into heating?

A)photovoltaic cells
B)wind turbines
C)biomass
D)solar thermal systems

Question 37

How do run-of-the-river hydroelectric systems differ from giant dams?

A)They don't block all of the water flowing down a channel and direct only some of it through a turbine.
B)They literally "run" the river and take over the entire ecosystem.
C)They flood an area to create a reservoir.
D)They do not differ; they work the same way.
E)They are built close to shorelines,whereas giant dams can be built only farther inland.

Question 38

Geothermal energy is considered to be one of the most efficient methods to heat and cool a house,since the ground temperature being harnessed to either heat or cool a house is always around _______________ Fahrenheit.

A)10°
B)25°
C)55°
D)90°
E)125°

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT an example of passive solar technology?

A)greenhouses
B)photovoltaic cells
C)strategically oriented windows on a home to maximize sunlight
D)dark-colored walls and floors installed in a home to absorb more heat
E)a roof overhang used to let winter sun enter and block summer sun

Question 40

What areas are BEST suited for geothermal energy production,and why?

Question 41

Which of the following electricity energy sources is LEAST expensive for the consumer?

A)fossil fuels
B)solar energy
C)wind
D)geothermal energy
E)nuclear energy

Question 42

Refer to Infographic 7.What does "payback time" mean in terms of conservation of energy?

A)how long it takes to pay for an appliance or new technology at today's interest rates
B)how long it takes for the savings to equal the original cost of the technology
C)how long it takes to find investors for the new technology
D)the amount of money required for the development of the technology
E)the amount of time before the manufacturer starts to make a profit

Question 43

The people of Samsø discovered the best way to achieve energy independence is to____??________.

A)use solar energy
B)use wind energy
C)conserve energy
D)use geothermal energy
E)buy electric cars

Question 44

What is the "take-home message" Samsø is sending to other communities?

Question 45

According to energy advisors,what produces the "greenest" kilowatt of electricity?

A)photovoltaic cells
B)run-of-the-river hydroelectric systems
C)geothermal heat pumps
D)wind turbines
E)an "unused" kilowatt

Question 46

For the residents of Samsø,one of the first conservation efforts revolved around ___________.

A)cooling homes
B)heating homes
C)converting to electric cars
D)using geothermal power
E)using hydropower

Question 47

Refer to Infographic 7.Why are renewable forms of energy so expensive when compared with fossil fuels? What are two cheaper ways to sustainably meet energy needs without such a huge financial input?

Question 48

Turning off lights when you leave a room or switching to CFL or LED lighting is an effective conservation method because lighting usually accounts for ___________ of average home electrical costs.

A)45%
B)50%
C)25%
D)10%
E)35%

Question 49

In terms of true cost,which of the following electricity energy sources is LEAST expensive for the consumer?

A)fossil fuels
B)solar energy
C)wind
D)geothermal energy
E)nuclear energy

Question 50

What do energy advisors mean by the phrase "the greenest kilowatt is the one you never use"?

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT a no-cost way to conserve energy?

A)washing clothes in cold water
B)taking shorter showers
C)closing the fireplace damper when it is not in use
D)insulating hot water pipes
E)lowering the thermostat

Question 52

Switching from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents (CFL)provides a twofold benefit during the summer.Why?

A)CFL bulbs use less energy.
B)Incandescent bulbs produce excess heat.
C)CFL bulbs produce excess heat.
D)Both CFL bulbs use less energy and incandescent bulbs product excess heat.
E)Both incandescent bulbs and CFL bulbs produce excess heat.

Question 53

Which step costs money but has a quick payback time?

A)turning off the computer when not in use
B)replacing old light bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs
C)replacing older windows with high efficiency windows
D)lowering the thermostat on the water heater
E)taking short showers instead of baths

Question 54

What alternative energy resources did Samsø choose to use in order to become a green community?

A)geothermal energy,solar energy,and wind
B)solar energy,wind,and biomass
C)geothermal energy,solar energy,and biomass
D)geothermal energy,solar energy,biomass,hydro energy,and wind
E)hydro energy,solar energy,and wind

Question 55

Currently,fossil fuels meet most of the energy needs of the United States.Why do experts say that in the future,no one renewable source will dominate as fossil fuels do today?

Question 56

What are the advantages and disadvantages to using straw to heat homes versus other more conventional heating fuels?

Question 57

How does insulating pipes,using an on-demand water heater,and taking shorter showers save energy?

Question 58

What is needed in order for a community like Samsø to switch to a greener lifestyle?

Question 59

What costs should be considered when comparing renewable energy technologies?

A)social
B)environmental
C)economic
D)both social and economic
E)social,environmental,and economic

Question 60

One of the main reasons Samsø was able to convert fully to renewable energy sources is because of ______________.

A)grants
B)citizen investors
C)government bonds
D)bank loans
E)foreign aid

Question 61

Science Literacy Use Infographic 2 to answer the next five questions.
In what year is solar electricity generation projected to equal hydroelectric energy generation?

A)2016
B)2040
C)2035
D)2020

Question 62

What is an advantage of solar energy you would use in your talk?

A)It is unpredictable and intermittent.
B)It is effective at large and small scales.
C)It has to be paired with other energy sources to meet needs.
D)It is expensive compared to other renewable energy sources.

Question 63

Match each term in the left-hand column to the statement that it best exemplifies.

Question 64

Science Literacy Use Infographic 2 to answer the next five questions.
How much electricity,in billion kWh,is hydroelectric power expected to generate in 2040?

A)500
B)400
C)300
D)100
E)50

Question 65

The president is very impressed with your presentation and wants to convert the campus into an energy positive campus.You tell him this will require ________________.

A)true cost pricing
B)diversification of renewable energy sources
C)energy storage methods
D)a smart grid
E)all of the above

Question 66

Science Literacy Use Infographic 2 to answer the next five questions.
In 2016,what was the renewable energy source producing the most electricity?

A)wind
B)solar
C)biomass
D)geothermal
E)hydroelectric

Question 67

Science Literacy Use Infographic 2 to answer the next five questions.
What is the order of energy production by nonrenewable sources from LOWEST to Highest amount?

A)coal,natural gas,nuclear,oil
B)natural gas,coal,nuclear,oil
C)oil,nuclear,natural gas,coal
D)coal,nuclear,natural gas,oil

Question 68

In your presentation,you tell the president that the EPA considers a particular type of energy to be the most efficient at heating and cooling,which would make what a good choice for your school?

A)hydroelectric
B)solar
C)biomass
D)geothermal

Question 69

The president wants to know which type of renewable energy source supplies more electricity than any other single renewable resource.You tell him the answer is ________.

A)hydroelectric
B)solar
C)biomass
D)geothermal

Question 70

Which of the following descriptions would you use for sustainable energy?

A)energy from sources that are replenished over short time scales
B)energy from sources that have a low environmental impact
C)energy from sources that are replenished over long time scales
D)energy from sources that are quickly used

Question 71

Science Literacy Use Infographic 2 to answer the next five questions.
Which renewable energy source is projected to produce the most energy in 2040?

A)wind
B)solar
C)biomass
D)geothermal
E)hydroelectric