1. Energy Resources Notes
6.7(A) The student will research and debate the advantages and disadvantages of using coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power, biomass wind, hydropower, geothermal and solar resources.

2. Energy Resources
Renewable – Can be replaced in a short time (plants, animals, water, oxygen, soil)
Nonrenewable – Can’t be replaced or take thousands/millions of years to replace (fossil fuels/oil, natural gas, coal,& minerals)
Inexhaustible/Perpetual -Can’t be used up (wind, sunlight, ocean tides)

3. Resource
Advantages
Disadvantages
Ethical / Social Issues
Coal
Cheap, easy to get & transport
Sometimes deep, dangerous to mine, contributes to global warming
Dangerous for workers
Global Warming
Oil
Found in lots of places
Easy to transport
Oil spills, nonrenewable, releases greenhouse gases when burned, price of oil rises,
Oil rigs are dangerous
Same as above
Natural Gas
Found in lots of places, easy to transport
Similar to Oil
Nuclear
Doesn’t contribute to global warming
Long lasting supply
Waste is radioactive for 100+ years
Could cause huge contamination
Few want to live by nuclear power plant

4. Resource
Advantages
Disadvantages
Ethical / Social Issues
Solar
Renewable, non polluting, maintenance free
Clouds reduce efficiency, expensive
Solar panels unsightly
Geothermal - volcanoes
Renewable, low cost, non polluting
Found in few places, sometimes contain pollutants, sulfur
Wind
Non polluting, turbines are more efficient, cost is falling
Unsightly, noisy, users need to be close, need wind, kills birds
Unsightly, Turbines kill birds and noisy
Hydroelectric- water
Constant source, cheap

5. Resource
Advantages
Disadvantages
Ethical / Social Issues
Biomass- comes from burning waste
Renewable,
Adds carbon to atmosphere when burned
Contributes to greenhouse effect

6. Other Vocabulary
Turbine – machine using kinetic energy of a moving fluid to change to mechanical energy.
Depleted- use up
Biomass-Total mass of living matter in an area
Energy – Ability to do work