Deck 10: Energy for Tomorrow: Solar and Other Renewable Energy Sources

Question 1

Which of these uses a device known as a heliostat to focus the sun's energy on molten salt water and create steam?
I. Solar power tower
II. Parabolic trough
III. Dish engine

A)I only
B)II only
C)I, II and III
D)I and II
E)I and III

Answer 1

I only

Question 2

Which of these is a disadvantage of wind power?
I. Wind farms use large portions of land which can not be used or other purposes.
II. Wind farms are undependable since winds are not always there when needed.
III. Wind power generation is extremely expensive and not competitive with other fuels.

A)I only
B)II only
C)I and III
D)I and II
E)I, II and III

Answer 2

I and II

Question 3

Which of these forms of power is the worlds' most utilized alternate energy source?

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

Answer 3

Hydroelectric

Question 4

Which of these are systems that utilize solar thermal energy?
I. Solar power tower
II. Parabolic trough
III. Dish engine

A)I only
B)II only
C)I, II and III
D)I and II
E)I and III

Question 5

Which of these is not a portion of a Solar Two solar thermal storage unit?

A)Turbine
B)Control rod
C)Central receiver
D)Condensor
E)Heliostat

Question 6

Which of these is a cleaner alternate fuel source to fossil fuels?

A)Solar
B)Wind
C)Hydroelectric
D)Geothermal
E)All of these

Question 7

Which of these statements concerning wind power is incorrect ?

A)It is an indirect form of solar power.
B)It accounts for 3.5 % of the total  electricity  of the United States .
C)Wind power is currently much too expensive.
D)Wind power production is uncontrollable and intermittent.
E)All of these statements are correct.

Question 8

Which alternative energy source is considered to be renewable?

A)Biomass
B)Solar
C)Hydroelectric
D)All of the above

Question 9

Which of these is not a problem associated with utilizing solar energy?

A)Low concentration of solar energy supply.
B)Low efficiency of solar cells for collecting solar energy
C)High cost associated with constructing solar technologies.
D)Hazardous wastes associated with solar cell decomposition.
E)Both C and D

Question 10

Which of these is not a disadvantage of hydropower?

A)There is a threat to marine life.
B)There is a threat of dam failure.
C)There is a disruption of nutrient flow downstream.
D)There are a relatively small number of dammable rivers.
E)There are large amounts of carbon dioxide venting in the hydroelectric process.

Question 11

​ The efficiency of a solar system which uses a focusing system covering 135 m² and produces 41.0 kW of power is approximately _____ considering the solar power available is 1000 W\m².

A)​ 1.8%
B)​ 14%
C)​ 30 %
D)​ 55%
E)​ 94%

Question 12

In which of these regions does hydroelectric power have the greatest potential for growth?

A)Mountainous regions
B)Desert regions
C)Developing countries
D)United States
E)Island nations

Question 13

Which of these uses pipes to focus sunlight, which heats synthetic oil, which inturn heats water and creates steam?
I. Solar power tower
II. Parabolic trough
III. Dish engine

A)I only
B)II only
C)I, II and III
D)I and II
E)I and III

Question 14

Which of these is an environmental problem associated with hydroelectric power?

A)Flooding of upstream canyons.
B)Reduced nutrient flow downstream.
C)Interrupted spawning patterns for fish.
D)Destruction of naturally majestic wilderness.
E)All of these are problems.

Question 15

Determine the efficiency of a solar system which uses a focusing system covering 300 m² and produces 50 kW of power. The solar power available is 900 W\m².

A)2%
B)18%
C)54 %
D)81%
E)94%

Question 16

Which of these is currently the most cost competitive at creating fuel to replace fossil fuels?
I. Solar power tower
II. Parabolic trough
III. Dish engine

A)I only
B)II only
C)I, II and III
D)I and II
E)I and III

Question 17

Which of these forms of alternate power does not get its energy from the sun either directly or indirectly?

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

Question 18

Solar power towers use Sun-tracking mirrors called _________.

A)reflectometers
B)heliostats
C)receivers
D)condensors

Question 19

Which of these forms of energy use heliostats to focus the suns energy?

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

Question 20

Which of these statements about the Sun is incorrect ?

A)The Sun radiates 10²⁶ watts of energy constantly into space.
B)The earth receives approximately 1 part per billion of the Sun's energy.
C)The main problem with solar energy is that it is not energetic enough for use.
D)Using solar energy is a problem because of its relatively low concentration.
E)All of these are correct statements.

Question 21

Determine the efficiency of a solar system which uses a 75 heliostats with an area of 3.0 m² and produces 25 kW of power. The solar power available is 1100 W\m².

A)10%
B)20%
C)30 %
D)45%
E)90%

Question 22

Which of these is the correct notation for indicating that a semiconductor is electron rich when combined with a dopant such as Arsenic ?

A)e-type
B)s-type
C)n-type
D)n\p-type
E)( − )type

Question 23

Which of these is not an application where photovoltaic cells are used?
I. Solar cars
II. Battery chargers
III. Satspace industry
IV. Calculators

A)I and II
B)I and III
C)I, II and III
D)I, III and IV
E)all of these  use photovoltaic cells

Question 24

Which of these methods is not a mechanism currently being explored for storing solar energy?

A)Light capture
B)Heat storage
C)Battery storage
D)Creation of chemical bonds
E)All of these are acceptable methods.

Question 25

Which of these elements would result in an electron poor semiconductor when added to silicon?

A)As
B)Sb
C)P
D)B
E)Se

Question 26

Photovoltaic cells convert light to electricity without _______.

A)moving parts
B)noise
C)pollution
D)all of the above

Question 27

Which of these is the most common type of semiconductor found in photovoltaic cells?

A)Arsenic
B)Carbon
C)Uranium
D)Silicon
E)Hydrogen

Question 28

Which of these is the most significant problem with solar energy , apart from low concentrations ?

A)Low levels of processing.
B)Intermittence of sunlight.
C)Inefficient storage.
D)High cost of collecting.
E)Lack of sufficient collecting systems.

Question 29

Which of these elements would result in an electron rich semiconductor when added to silicon?

A)B
B)Al
C)Se
D)C
E)b

Question 30

How many square meters of photovoltaic cells would be required to provide sufficient energy to light a 60 W computer monitor? Photovoltaic cells are 15% efficient in converting 1000 W\m² of solar energy to electricity.

A)0.40 m²
B)2.5 m²
C)14 m²
D)9 m²
E)400 m²

Question 31

Which of these factors  provides a source of energy to excite electrons which move across an p-n junction?

A)Light
B)Heat
C)Silicon
D)Steam
E)External current

Question 32

How many square meters of photovoltaic cells would be required to provide sufficient energy to run a 11 W compact disc player? Photovoltaic cells are 15% efficient in converting 1000 W\m² of solar energy to electricity.

A)1.1 × 10 ^{− 3} m²
B)0.73 m²
C)14 m²
D)20 m²
E)75 m²

Question 33

Which of these is the correct notation for indicating that a semiconductor is electron deficient?

A)e-type
B)(+)type
C)n-type
D)n\p-type
E)p-type

Question 34

Which of these is a problem with storing solar energy in batteries?
I. It is very expensive.
II. There is a lack of storage materials.
III. There is a loss of energy during the conversion process.

A)I only
B)II only
C)II and III
D)I and III
E)I and II

Question 35

Photovoltaic systems take solar energy and convert it into ____.

A)heat
B)electricity
C)electrons
D)solar thermal power
E)steam

Question 36

Which of these is not a problem associated with photovoltaic cells?
I. The cells are very inefficient.
II. Semiconductors are expensive to construct.
III. The cells must absorb large amounts of energy for useful applications.

A)I only
B)III only
C)I and II
D)II and III
E)I, II and III

Question 37

Determine the efficiency of a solar system which uses a focusing system covering 100 m² and produces 40 kW of power. The solar power available is 1000 W\m².

A)20%
B)40%
C)60 %
D)88%
E)94%

Question 38

How many square meters of photovoltaic cells would be required to provide sufficient energy to light a 100 W light bulb? Photovoltaic cells are 15% efficient in converting 1000 W\m² of solar energy to electricity.

A)6.6 × 10 ^{− 1} m²
B)15 m²
C)67 m²
D)200 m²
E)275 m²

Question 39

Which of these elements would result in an electron rich semiconductor when added to silicon?

A)B
B)Al
C)Ge
D)C
E)P

Question 40

Which of these is not a commercial application of photovoltaic cells?

A)Night lights
B)Highway call boxes
C)Watches
D)Cell phones
E)Calculators

Question 41

Which of the following has not been used as a fuel for a vehicle?

A)Hydrogen
B)Ethanol
C)Solar power
D)Fuel cell
E)None of the above

Question 42

Space heating accounts for approximately _____% of energy use in an average U. S. household.

A)10%
B)20%
C)30%
D)41.5%
E)50%

Question 43

Which of these are the two methods are utilized for obtaining energy from plants?

A)Extraction of liquid fuels and photochemistry
B)Burning and extraction of H₂O for fuel cells
C)Burning and extraction of solar energy
D)Burning and extraction of liquid fuels
E)Photochemistry and burning

Question 44

Which of these is not a problem associated with geothermal energy?

A)It has limited availability.
B)Vented steam usually contains sulfurous and ammonia gases.
C)Global warming results because of the high levels of CO₂ produced.
D)Condensed steam from the earth's crust is corrosive to mechanical parts.
E)All of these are problems with geothermal energy.

Question 45

What percentage of energy is lost by converting from natural gas to electricity to heat a home?

A)10%
B)30%
C)50%
D)70%
E)90%

Question 46

Which of these heating sources is most effective in heating homes ?

A)Solar energy
B)Electricity
C)Hydropower
D)Geothermal
E)Natural gas

Question 47

Which of these is the most significant problem with geothermal energy?

A)Inefficient
B)Global warming
C)Limited availability
D)Expensive to produce
E)None of these

Question 48

Rank these household energy consumers from least to greatest.
(space heating, air-conditioning, water heating, refrigerator)

A)space heating
B)Refrigerator
C)air-conditioning
D)refrigerator
E)air conditioning

Question 49

Which of these is product of the combustion of hydrogen?

A)Methane
B)Water
C)Oxygen
D)Carbon dioxide
E)More than one answer is correct

Question 50

Which process is represented in the equation?
​
Energy + 2H₂O → 2H₂ + O₂

A)Photosynthesis
B)Electrolysis
C)Photovoltaic cell
D)Respiration
E)Combustion

Question 51

Which of these accounts for the largest amount of household energy consumption?

A)Water heating
B)Air-conditioning
C)Space-heating
D)Appliances
E)Television

Question 52

Which of these is the most significant problem with biomass energy?

A)Inefficient
B)Global warming
C)Insufficient land
D)Expensive to produce
E)Hazardous wastes

Question 53

Transportation in the U.S.  accounts for what percentage of energy consumption?

A)10%
B)25%
C)50%
D)75%
E)85%

Question 54

Which of these is a disadvantage of nuclear power as an alternative energy source?
I. Limited amounts of U-235
II. Radioactive wastes
III. Smog production

A)II only
B)II and III
C)I and III
D)I and II
E)I, II and III

Question 55

Which process is represented in the equation?
​
Sunlight + 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂

A)Photosynthesis
B)Electrolysis
C)Photovoltaic cell
D)Respiration
E)Combustion

Question 56

Which of these methods is utilized for the storage of solar energy by forming chemical bonds?

A)Replication
B)Photosynthesis
C)Electrolysis
D)Combustion
E)Photovoltaic cells

Question 57

Which of these non-fissionable substance is converted in a breeder reactor to fissionable Pu-239?

A)U-238
B)C-14
C)Si-14
D)H-3
E)O-17

Question 58

Which of theses items will not help in the conservation of household energy?

A)Electric heaters
B)Lowering thermostats
C)Using fluorescent lighting
D)Installing double-pane windows
E)All of these will conserve energy.

Question 59

Which of theses items will not help in the conservation of household energy?

A)Lowering thermostats
B)Using incandescent lighting
C)Heating directly with natural gas
D)Installing double-pane windows
E)Cooking in microwaves when possible

Question 60

Which of these technological advances will increase the supply of nuclear fissionable material by 10,000 years?

A)Electrolysis
B)Fuel cells
C)Solar power tower
D)Dish engine
E)Breeder reactor

Question 61

What percentage of energy is conserved by heating a house directly with natural gas?

A)10-20%
B)30-40%
C)50-60%
D)70-90%
E)95-98%

Question 62

Which of these household appliances consumes the greatest amount of electricity per year?

A)Television
B)Stereo
C)Clothes dryer
D)Coffee maker
E)Dishwasher

Question 63

Which of these household appliances consumes the least amount of electricity per year?

A)Television
B)Dishwasher
C)Refrigerator
D)DVD
E)Hot tub