Question

Energy Matrix

Use your textbook to research each energy source in the matrix below.

Complete the matrix with 1- to 2-sentence responses for each prompt.

Energy source	Description (Where does the energy come from? How is it extracted?)	Renewable or non-renewable? Explain.	Examples of use	Limitations to using this resource	Benefits to using this resource
Fossil fuels (gas, oil, coil, petroleum)
Nuclear power
Hydropower
Wind energy
Solar energy
Biomass energy
Geothermal energy

Answer 1

  

	Description	Renewable/Non-Renewable	Example of use	Limitations of using it as resource	Benefits of using it as resource.
Fossil fuels	These come from the geologic deposits where the decayed matter of plants and animals get stored.	Fossil Fuels are non-renewable considering the fact that they take millions of year to form and this can not be considered renewable on a human time scale.	largely used in coal fire power plants, transportation sector.	They are not sustainable as they are non-renewable sources of energy and cause air pollution.	Provide high energy and feasible.
Nuclear Power	Nuclear power is derived from radioactive elements which needs to be mined.	Is a non-renewable source of energy as the fuel used is exhaustible.	There are about nuclear power plants and 10% of world's energy is generated from nuclear energy.	Disposal of nuclear waste is an issue and risks from accidents is a great cause of concern.	Low carbon emissions,more reliable and efficient sources of energy generation.
Hydro power	source of energy is flowing water	Renewable source of energy as the water does not get used up in the process of generation.	There are many hydropower plants situated in different countries and they account for 20% of world's energy.	They are cheap reliable,do not emit GHGs.	Damage aquatic ecosystem.Cost of building is high.
Wind energy	Wind energy comes from wind where the kinetic energy of wind is converted in to mechanical power and electricity to power houses.	Renewable source of energy.Since,wind is not exhaustible.	China is at the top in harnessing wind energy with a capacity of 221 GW.	Wind energy can be highly location specific and may not be a continuous source of energy generation.	Sustainable source of energy,eco-friendly,economically viable.
Solar energy	Source of origin is sun.They can be converted in to electricity by photovoltaic panels.	It is a renewable source of energy as it inexhaustible on human time scale.	The leading producers of solar energy are Germany,China,USA,India.	Since it depends on sun rays,energy generation depends on weather and consumes a lot of space with high cost of installation.	Provides a clean energy,can be largely used at an individual level.
Biomass energy	This energy comes from plants and animal material.Common extraction methods include Fermentation, anaerobic digestion etc.	Renewable source of energy as it is generated from plants materials which can be cultivated as and when wanted.	Biomass energy can be burned directly or be used as biofuels such as ethanol.Or energy can also be generated from methane gas which are used largely in landfills.	Consumes a lot of land for the growth of plants and also other resources such as water and other nutrients.	Reduces the volume of garbage waste,less expensive and eco-friendly.

Geothermal Energy -

Description - The energy comes from the heat that is trapped in the earth's interior.The energy is extracted when the water is sent inside this region and the water comes out as steam which moves the attached turbine.

Renewable/ Non-Renewable - It is clearly a renewable source of energy as the source of energy is inexhaustible.

Example's of use - There are many countries which rely on geothermal energy for electricity generation and the leading producer of geothermal energy includes U.S and Iceland.

Limitations - Causes emission of GHGs. Also, drilling deep can increase the risk of earthquakes due to instability and it is also location specific.

Benefits - It provides a more continuous source of electricity generation when compared to solar and wind energy.Also, it is relatively a clean source of producing electricity than fossil fuels and also it reduces the dependance on fossil fuels.