Renewable vs non-renewable energy · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Renewable vs non-renewable energy

Science · Energy · ages 12-14
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which list contains three non-renewable fuels?

    • Wind, oil and natural gas
    • Coal, oil and natural gas
    • Coal, sunlight and natural gas

  2. Which list contains four renewable energy resources?

    • Coal, wind, tidal and geothermal
    • Solar, wind, tidal and geothermal
    • Solar, natural gas, tidal and geothermal

  3. A nuclear station using mined uranium uses a non-renewable fuel.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which comparison of a coal station and a wind farm is correct?

    • Coal burning releases CO2; wind generation burns no fuel.
    • Wind generation burns fuel; coal burning releases no CO2.
    • Neither installation has impacts from construction or materials.

  5. Which explanation shows why wind is renewable?

    • Turbines store moving air in tanks until electricity is needed.
    • Turbine construction needs no energy, materials or transport.
    • Weather processes keep producing moving air.

  6. A home needs electricity for all 24 hours of a day. Solar fully supplies it for 12 hours and supplies nothing for the other hours. There is no stored energy. For how many hours is another supply needed?

    Answer: ______________

  7. Wind alone costs less to build but cannot meet a town's demand on calm days. Adding gas backup costs more. The backup has enough capacity and available fuel for all demand. Which trade-off is accurate?

    • Lower build cost buys calm-day supply, with no CO2 when gas runs.
    • Higher build cost removes calm-day supply, while gas uses no fuel.
    • Higher build cost buys calm-day supply, with CO2 when gas runs.

  8. A town cuts fuel wood faster than its trees regrow. Leo says the local supply cannot shrink because biomass is renewable. Which explanation checks his claim?

    • The supply shrinks when use is faster than regrowth.
    • The supply stays unchanged whenever any trees remain alive.
    • The renewable label guarantees enough wood for every future year.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Renewable vs non-renewable energy W1-mt_w2A8D76ymp-s1

  1. Coal, oil and natural gas · Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. Their formation is too slow to replace the amounts used on human timescales.
  2. Solar, wind, tidal and geothermal · Solar, wind, tidal and geothermal are renewable resources. Coal and natural gas are non-renewable fuels.
  3. True · Uranium is a finite mined fuel that is not renewed on human timescales. Nuclear plants split nuclei rather than burn uranium.
  4. Coal burning releases CO2; wind generation burns no fuel. · Coal combustion releases CO2 and air pollutants. Wind generation burns no fuel, but turbine construction and materials still have environmental impacts.
  5. Weather processes keep producing moving air. · Natural weather processes keep producing wind. Renewable does not mean wind is always available or turbine construction has no impacts.
  6. 12 · Subtract the hours fully supplied from the whole day: 24 - 12 = 12 hours needing another supply.
  7. Higher build cost buys calm-day supply, with CO2 when gas runs. · The stated backup adds build cost and can cover calm-day demand. Burning its gas releases CO2, so improved supply has an environmental trade-off.
  8. The supply shrinks when use is faster than regrowth. · Renewable biomass must be replaced as it is used. Here harvesting is faster than regrowth, so the local wood supply is depleted.
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