Energy Study Guide
Coal
1) What is coal, and how is it formed? Distinguish among lignite, bituminous, and
anthracite coal. What are the two major uses of coal?
2) List three advantages and three disadvantages of using coal as an energy resource?
Oil
3) What is petroleum, or crude oil? What are the major methods of crude oil extraction?
4) What happens to crude oil at a refinery? What are some of the products (petrochemicals) produced via crude oil
distillation?
5) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using conventional oil as an energy resource?
6) How is heavy crude oil different from oil sand and oil shale?
Natural Gas
7) What is natural gas? How is it formed?
8) What are the major advantages and disadvantages of using conventional natural gas as an energy resource?
9) What is fracking? And why do people protest against the use of fracking?
10) What is a methane hydrate?
Nuclear
11) Describe how a nuclear fission reactor works.
12) List the major advantages and disadvantages of using conventional nuclear fission to produce electricity.
13) What is being done with low-level radioactive waste produced by the nuclear fuel cycle? What about high-level
radioactive waste?
14) List the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed site for storing high and level nuclear wastes at Yucca
Mountain in Nevada.
15) Describe the causes and effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in the former Soviet Union.
Solar
16) Distinguish between a passive solar heating system and an active solar heating system, and list the advantages and
disadvantages of these systems for heating buildings.
17) What is a solar cell? List the advantages and disadvantages of using solar cells to produce electricity.
18) Compare a stand alone vs a grid solar photovoltaic system.
Wind
19) How is wind power generated?
20) What are (a) a wind turbine and (b) a wind farm? List the advantages and disadvantages of using wind to produce
electricity.
Biomass
21) Why is biomass considered a renewable resource?
22) List the advantages and disadvantages of (a) burning solid biomass as a source of energy, (b) using ethanol as a
vehicle fuel, and (c) using methanol as a vehicle fuel.
Hydrogen and Alternative Energy Sources
23) List the advantages and disadvantages of producing hydrogen from water or organic compounds and using the
hydrogen as a source of energy.
24) How do hybrid cars work? What are the environmental benefits and disadvantages of purchasing a hybrid car?
Geothermal
25) What is geothermal energy? Describe three types of geothermal reservoirs. List the advantages and disadvantages of
using geothermal energy to produce heat and electricity.
Energy Math
26) What are the three energy units?
1 Kilowatt = _______________ watts
1 Megawatt = ______________ watts ?
1 Gigawatt = _______________ watts ?
1 Megawatt = _____________ kilowatts?
27) A capacity of a coal power plant is 15 megawatts (MW). Assuming that the power plant can operate at full capacity
for 10,000 hrs/yr, how many kWh of electricity can be produced by the plant in one year?