Study Guide for Test on Renewable Energy (chap. 16)
· Know the metric prefixes kilo, mega, giga and tera.
· Review: Know the formula: power = energy/time (and energy = power x time).
· Be able to distinguish between energy conservation and energy efficiency. Know what percentage of energy in the US is unnecessarily wasted. Know ways to improve the energy efficiency of a home.
· Know how to determine the net energy efficiency of a system.
· Be able to define cogeneration (combined heat and power or CHP).
· Be able to explain (1) the basic processes of; (2) the locations or types of areas where each has the greatest potential; and (3) advantages and disadvantages of the following types of power:
o Solar (passive, active, concentrated solar)
o Hydro
o Wind
o Tidal
o Wave
o Geothermal
o Hydrogen fuel cells
o Ethanol (corn, sugarcane, cellulosic)
o Biodiesel (rapeseed, algae, palm)
· Be able to explain the difference between passive solar heating and active solar heating. Be able to name three ways to cool houses naturally.
· Be able to explain that there are two way to produce electricity from solar energy: photovoltaic cells and concentrated solar thermal.
· Be able to explain what a photovoltaic cell (solar cell or PV cell) does.
· Be able to explain how a geothermal heat pump can be used to heat and cool a home. Know that the ground temperate at a depth of 10-20 feet is very consistent.
· Know that Iceland gets the highest percentage of its power from geothermal energy. Know that the US and the Phillipines produce the greatest amount of geothermal energy.
· Be able to explain the two main types of liquid biofuels are biodiesel and ethanol. Know that IF biofuels are not used faster than they can be replenished, there is no net increase in CO2 emissions.
· Be able to name some of the crops that can be converted to biodiesel. Know which countries produce the greatest percentage of biodiesel. Know that oil palm has a 5 times higher biodiesel yield than rapeseed or soybean, but that it grows primarily in tropical areas so that the clearing of tropical rainforests causes it to increase CO2 emissions and decrease biodiversity.
· Know what a Hydrogen fuel cell is. Know that H2 fuel does not exist in nature and requires energy from some other source to produce.
· Know the approximate percentages of the various sources for the US’s electricity production, and be able to compare that to the Puget Sound’s “fuel mix” for electricity.
· Understand the basics of America’s transmission grid system and the problems with an aging infrastructure and an increased demand for power.