1. Geothermal Energy – energy from the Earth
Deep underground, the Earth’s rocks are naturally very hot. We can turn their heat energy into electrical energy to use in our homes – we call this ‘geothermal energy’.
Cold water is pumped below the ground.
Hot rocks heat the water, turning it into steam.
The steam is used to generate electricity.
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Doesn’t damage the environment
Very few places in the world where you can do this
Costs a lot of money to drill deep into the ground

2. Wave Energy – energy from sea waves
The sea’s waves have kinetic energy. Using machines that bob up and down in the waves, this energy can be turned into electrical energy which we can use in our homes.
wave energy machines bobbing up and down in the waves
Need lots of machines to get a reasonable amount of energy
The machines costs a lot of money
The machines can look ugly
The machines can be damaged by storms
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned

3. Hydroelectric Energy – energy from rivers
The water flowing in a river has kinetic energy. We can turn this into electrical energy to use in our homes. We usually need to build a dam, and let the water flow through it gradually.
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
We can store the water up high, and then whenever we need the energy we can let the water out
Costs a lot of money to build a dam
The dam can ruin the local environment, because it changes where the water naturally flows. Some animals and plants may die.

4. Tidal Energy – energy from sea tides
If you’ve ever been to the coast, you may have noticed that the sea level goes up and down, because of tides. When the tide is high, the water has lots of gravitational potential energy, which we can turn into electrical energy to use in our homes.
At high tide, we trap the water behind a dam.
At low tide, the water is released, and its energy is used to generate electricity.
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Reliable, because there are always two tides every day
Cheap to run, once it’s built
Costs a lot to build the dam
The dam may cause local flooding

5. Solar Energy – energy from the Sun
The Earth gets heat and light energy from the sun all the time. Can we use it – yes we can! The Sun’s energy can either be:
changed into electrical energy to use in homes, using solar cells;
or used to heat water for homes, using solar panels.
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Solar cells and solar panels are expensive
Only works if it’s sunny!

6. Wind Energy – energy from the wind
Using wind turbines, we can turn the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy which we can use in our homes. This is ‘wind energy’.
Wind energy moves wind turbines.
The moving turbines cause the movement needed in a generator to produce electricity.
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Turbines are quite cheap and easy to build, so they can be used even in poor countries
Turbines can be ugly and noisy
Only works if it’s quite windy! If the wind stops, you get no energy.

7. Biomass Energy – energy from plants
The chemical potential energy stored in things that were once alive (e.g. trees) can be turned into heat energy by burning them. (We can also turn it into electrical energy to use in our homes.)
Trees absorb the sun’s energy. The trees change this energy into chemical energy, which they store inside themselves.
When we burn wood, we turn this energy into heat, which is useful for cooking and heating.
Renewable – as long as we keep planting trees to replace the ones we cut down
Doesn’t need any special equipment, so it can be used very easily, even in poor countries
Doesn’t add to the greenhouse effect
Large areas of land are needed to grow enough trees

8. Nuclear Energy – energy from Uranium
The chemical potential energy stored in the metal Uranium, which is found in the ground, is used to provide heat energy inside a nuclear reactor. This heat energy is then turned into electrical energy so that we can use it in our homes.
Heat generated from nuclear fission (when an atom splits in two) heats up water to produce steam
The steam turns turbines and gives the movement a generator needs to produce electricity.
Renewable
Produces huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel
Doesn’t add to the greenhouse effect
Can be very dangerous – a nuclear accident could be a major disaster
Power stations are big and ugly and expensive to build

9. Fossil Fuels – Coal, oil and natural gas
The fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas. They are fuels because they release heat energy when they are burned. They are fossil fuels because they were formed from the remains of living organisms millions of years ago.
About three-quarters of the electricity generated in the UK comes from power stations fuelled by fossil fuels. To the right is an energy transfer diagram for the generation of electricity from a fossil fuel such as coal.
Heat generated from burning the fossil fuels heats up water to produce steam
The steam turns turbines and gives the movement a generator needs to produce electricity.
At present, generating electricity using fossil fuels is cheaper than using renewable resources.
Electricity from power stations is available all the time.
Releases carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change and Sulphur Dixoide (acid rain)
Extracting and transporting fossil fuels causes pollution and can change landscapes.