1.What form of renewable power is Australia's largest potential energy source? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. With all the sunshine we get over this large continent, it's not surprising that solar radiation is Australia's largest potential energy source. In fact, the average amount of solar energy that falls on Australia is about 15,000 times our national energy use.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is solar. With all the sunshine we get over this large continent, it's not surprising that solar radiation is Australia's largest potential energy source. In fact, the average amount of solar energy that falls on Australia is about 15,000 times our national energy use.

2.What percentage of sunlight can the best silicon solar cells convert into electricity? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. Currently the world's best silicon solar cells are only able to convert 25 per cent of the incident sunlight that falls on them into electricity. Scientists expect that first-generation silicon photovoltaic cells will only ever be able to reach 29 per cent maximum efficiency because of the energy they lose as heat and the limits imposed by the material itself.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is 25%. Currently the world's best silicon solar cells are only able to convert 25 per cent of the incident sunlight that falls on them into electricity. Scientists expect that first-generation silicon photovoltaic cells will only ever be able to reach 29 per cent maximum efficiency because of the energy they lose as heat and the limits imposed by the material itself.

3.Which state has the lowest rate of solar panel installations? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. Only one solar panel unit per 3804 people has been installed in Western Australia since the federal government's rebate scheme was introduced in Sunny Queensland has also been sluggish with only one in 2112 people, whereas South Australia has had one unit installed per 455 people.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is Western Australia. Only one solar panel unit per 3804 people has been installed in Western Australia since the federal government's rebate scheme was introduced in Sunny Queensland has also been sluggish with only one in 2112 people, whereas South Australia has had one unit installed per 455 people.

4.How much electricity is produced by hydro- electric power in Australia each year? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. 2,000 Gigawatt hours 16,000 Gigawatt hours 24,000 Gigawatt hours 48,000 Gigawatt hours

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. While there are about 100 hydroelectric power stations in Australia they produce only a small proportion of Australia’s electricity. This output fell seven per cent in the nine years to because dry conditions in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania meant there was reduced water flows available for hydro power generation.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is 16,000 Gigawatt hours. While there are about 100 hydroelectric power stations in Australia they produce only a small proportion of Australia’s electricity. This output fell seven per cent in the nine years to because dry conditions in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania meant there was reduced water flows available for hydro power generation.

5.Which of the following renewable energy sources are able to provide baseload power? Baseload power is the minimum amount of power that an electricity company must make available – typically that is power 24 hours per day. Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with quiz. All of these

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with quiz. Correct. Geothermal energy, which uses heat that naturally occurs beneath the Earth's surface, is able to provide a baseload or continuous power output, whereas the other renewable sources are more intermittent. However, hot rock geothermal technology has not yet been commercially proven in Australia. There are hopes that in the future solar will also be able to provide baseload power through concentrating solar power systems. Instead of converting sunlight directly to electricity, these systems use sunlight to heat a liquid solution that can be stored in insulated tanks and then circulated through steam turbines to generate electricity whenever it is required, including during non-sunlight hours.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is Geothermal. Geothermal energy, which uses heat that naturally occurs beneath the Earth's surface, is able to provide a baseload or continuous power output, whereas the other renewable sources are more intermittent. However, hot rock geothermal technology has not yet been commercially proven in Australia. There are hopes that in the future solar will also be able to provide baseload power through concentrating solar power systems. Instead of converting sunlight directly to electricity, these systems use sunlight to heat a liquid solution that can be stored in insulated tanks and then circulated through steam turbines to generate electricity whenever it is required, including during non-sunlight hours.

6.What is ‘clean’ coal? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Washing the coal to remove impurities Converting the coal into a fuel gas before it is combusted Capturing and storing its carbon dioxide emissions All of the above

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. Coal currently accounts for more than half of Australia's energy production. Clean coal technologies refer to a group of technologies that aim to improve the efficiency and lessen the environmental impact of burning coal for electricity. As such this can include technologies from all stages of the process, from washing mined coal to improve its quality, converting coal to a gas to improve its efficiency and reduce emissions, and geo-sequestration to capture and store the carbon dioxide emissions produced during combustion.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is all of the above. Coal currently accounts for more than half of Australia's energy production. Clean coal technologies refer to a group of technologies that aim to improve the efficiency and lessen the environmental impact of burning coal for electricity. As such this can include technologies from all stages of the process, from washing mined coal to improve its quality, converting coal to a gas to improve its efficiency and reduce emissions, and geo-sequestration to capture and store the carbon dioxide emissions produced during combustion.

7. Which of the following statements about wind energy is false? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wind energy is an indirect form of solar energy Wind turbines generate more than 1 per cent of global electricity Many countries are building offshore wind farms to capitalise on the stronger winds found at sea Wind turbines reach maximum power output at wind speeds of 25 metres per second

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. Winds blowing at 25 metres per second are gale force winds and wind turbines would shut down under these conditions. Turbines reach their maximum power output around a more sedate 13 metres per second. While wind energy is big globally, Australia only ranks sixteenth in the World Wind Energy Association's 2008 wind power capacity rankings despite having some of the most reliable winds in the world. It's unlikely that we will build many offshore wind farms to turn this situation around as they cost a lot to build and we have a wealth of land on which to build wind farms.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is that “wind turbines reach maximum power output at wind speeds of 25 metres per second” is false. Winds blowing at 25 metres per second are gale force winds and wind turbines would shut down under these conditions. Turbines reach their maximum power output around a more sedate 13 metres per second. While wind energy is big globally, Australia only ranks sixteenth in the World Wind Energy Association's 2008 wind power capacity rankings despite having some of the most reliable winds in the world. It's unlikely that we will build many offshore wind farms to turn this situation around as they cost a lot to build and we have a wealth of land on which to build wind farms.

8.What is the theoretical power of a single five metre high wave equivalent to? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. 200 MW per kilometre of coastline 500 MW per kilometre of coastline 1000 MW per kilometre of coastline 2000 MW per kilometre of coastline

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. Comparable to an ordinary coal-fired power station, the theoretical power of a single five metre high wave, which is a fairly large wave, is 1000 MW per kilometre of coastline. In practice however, only a small fraction of this energy can be extracted because the intensity of waves varies so much hourly, daily and even seasonally. Wave power technology is still very much in the research and development phase.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is 1000 MW per kilometre of coastline. Comparable to an ordinary coal-fired power station, the theoretical power of a single five metre high wave, which is a fairly large wave, is 1000 MW per kilometre of coastline. In practice however, only a small fraction of this energy can be extracted because the intensity of waves varies so much hourly, daily and even seasonally. Wave power technology is still very much in the research and development phase.

9.What is not a major constraint preventing the widespread use of hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. It is too hard to produce We do not have the necessary infrastructure to deliver hydrogen It is difficult to store It cannot be used in private cars

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Correct. There are plenty of hurdles to be overcome before hydrogen can replace fossil fuels more widely. The car industry, however, has championed the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source for years, and many manufacturers are developing fuel cell vehicles.

Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is it cannot be used in private cars. There are plenty of hurdles to be overcome before hydrogen can replace fossil fuels more widely. The car industry, however, has championed the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source for years, and many manufacturers are developing fuel cell vehicles.

10.What pest could potentially help us produce biofuels? Renewable Energy Quiz How much do you know about renewables? Test yourself with the quiz. Cockroaches TermitesFliesSpiders

Renewable Energy Quiz Source: Correct. Believe it or not, termites could actually help us produce biofuels. While we can use crops like sugarcane for biomass there is also a lot of energy locked up in the woodier parts of plants in something called ligno-celluloses that we currently can't access. Termites produce enzymes that work with microorganisms in their guts to convert this material into simple sugars. By emulating their system scientists might be able to find a way to unlock this potential energy source for biofuel production.

Renewable Energy Quiz Source: Wrong answer, sorry. The correct answer is termites. Believe it or not, termites could actually help us produce biofuels. While we can use crops like sugarcane for biomass there is also a lot of energy locked up in the woodier parts of plants in something called ligno-celluloses that we currently can't access. Termites produce enzymes that work with microorganisms in their guts to convert this material into simple sugars. By emulating their system scientists might be able to find a way to unlock this potential energy source for biofuel production.