Renewable and non-renewable sources

Classify these energy sources as renewable or non-renewable:

1. a) Solar energy.
2. b) Coal.
3. c) Wind energy.
4. d) Natural gas.

Why do we say that solar energy is renewable? Explain in your own words, thinking about whether the Sun gets "used up" when we use it.

Complete the sentence with the missing words: "Non-renewable sources are those that get $\dots$ when used, because nature takes $\dots$ of years to form them again. Two examples are $\dots$ and $\dots$."

State whether each statement is true or false and correct the false ones:

1. a) "Oil is a renewable source."
2. b) "Firewood and pruning waste are biomass, a renewable source."
3. c) "If we install many wind turbines, the wind will run out."

Which energy source does each of these facilities use?

1. a) Giant wind turbines at the top of a hill.
2. b) Dark panels on the roof of a house.
3. c) A dam releasing water through its sluice gates.
4. d) A power station burning gas to heat steam.

In some towns there are hot thermal waters that spring from the ground, heated by the Earth's interior.

1. a) What is the name of the energy source that uses this heat?
2. b) Is it renewable or non-renewable? Justify your answer.

The school has installed solar panels on the roof of the gym.

1. a) Give two advantages of producing its own electricity in this way.
2. b) Give one disadvantage of solar energy and explain how it can be solved or mitigated.

A biomass boiler burns $4\ \text{kg}$ of pellets a day, and each kilogram provides $5\ \text{kWh}$ of heat.

1. a) How many $\text{kWh}$ of heat does the boiler supply each day?
2. b) How many $\text{kWh}$ does it supply in a month of $30$ days?

A hydroelectric dam produces electricity by releasing dammed water, as shown in the diagram in the figure.

1. a) Write down one advantage of this energy source.
2. b) Write down one disadvantage for the river environment and the valley.
3. c) Is it renewable? Justify your answer.

On a dairy farm, slurry is used to produce biogas, which is then used for cooking.

1. a) Why is biogas considered a renewable source?
2. b) Besides providing energy, what other advantage does using slurry have?
3. c) Could this source supply a large city on its own? Reason your answer.

Someone claims: "It is very sunny in Ireland, so all electricity should be solar by now."

1. a) Give two reasons why this is not as easy as it seems.
2. b) Propose a combination of renewable sources that can also provide electricity at night, and justify your answer.
3. c) Explain what role batteries or pumped-storage hydroelectric dams can play in that system.

In a nuclear power station, uranium is used as a "fuel".

1. a) Is nuclear energy renewable or non-renewable? Think about whether uranium gets depleted.
2. b) Name the most well-known problem with this energy source, related to what is left behind after using it.

Coal and natural gas are fossil fuels.

1. a) What common problem do they cause for the planet's climate? Name the gas they emit when burned.
2. b) If this problem is so serious, why do you think many countries continue to use them? Give at least one reason.

The label of an electric car says "zero emissions".

1. a) Explain why this only comes close to being true if the electricity used to charge it comes from renewable sources.
2. b) If the electricity is produced in a power station that burns coal, where are the gases emitted then? Has the problem disappeared or has it merely shifted location?

A town council must choose between installing a wind farm in the mountains or a small gas power station next to the industrial estate.

1. a) Write down two arguments in favour of the wind farm.
2. b) Write down two arguments in favour of the gas power station.
3. c) Choose one of the two options and defend it with your own arguments, addressing one of its disadvantages.

There are strongly opposing opinions regarding nuclear energy.

1. a) Write down two arguments of those in favour: think about how much energy it provides, whether it emits carbon dioxide during operation, and whether it depends on the weather.
2. b) Write down two arguments of those against: think about waste and accidents.
3. c) Give your reasoned opinion: should a country invest in nuclear energy while installing more renewables?

At Leo's house, they cook with a butane gas cylinder and in winter they heat the house with a fireplace.

1. a) Which energy source does the cooker use and which does the fireplace use?
2. b) Which of the two is renewable? Why?

An entire neighbourhood is heated using geothermal heat from the subsoil.

1. a) Why is it considered a renewable source?
2. b) What advantage does it have over heating by burning gas?
3. c) Could such an installation be placed anywhere? Reason your answer.

To do your homework, you can use a desktop computer using $200\ \text{W}$ or a laptop using $50\ \text{W}$, taking $2\ \text{h}$ with either of them.

1. a) How much energy does each one consume, in $\text{Wh}$?
2. b) How many $\text{Wh}$ do you save each evening by using the laptop?

At Aoife's house, the TV and games console are always left on standby, with the little light on. Together they consume $0.5\ \text{kWh}$ per day without anyone using them.

1. a) How many $\text{kWh}$ do they waste in a year of $365$ days?
2. b) How much money is thrown away per year, at $0.20\ \text{€/kWh}$?
3. c) Propose two responsible consumption habits to reduce this waste.

A classmate claims: "Since the Sun and the wind are free and will not run out, saving energy will no longer be necessary once everything is renewable."

1. a) Explain why renewable energy is not truly "free": think about the infrastructure, materials, and land required.
2. b) Give one reason why saving energy will still be necessary even if all energy is renewable.
3. c) Rewrite your classmate's statement so that it is correct.

A town consumes $1000\ \text{kWh}$ of electricity per day and $40\ \%$ comes from renewable sources. The graph summarises the town's energy consumption and its renewable share.

1. a) How many renewable $\text{kWh}$ does it consume per day?
2. b) The following year, the number of solar panels doubles and the renewable kilowatt-hours rise to $800$. If consumption remains at $1000\ \text{kWh}$, what percentage of renewable energy does the town reach?
3. c) Imagine that, with so much clean energy, people waste electricity and daily consumption increases to $1600\ \text{kWh}$ per day. What percentage is renewable then? What conclusion do you draw about installing renewables and saving energy?

Manufacturing a mobile phone consumes a lot of energy: mining, manufacturing, and transport use as much energy as years of using the device.

1. a) Explain why changing mobile phones every year uses a lot of energy, even if the new phone spends most of the day switched off.
2. b) Propose two responsible consumption decisions that reduce this energy expenditure.
3. c) Link this saving to the use of non-renewable sources.

A city bus with $40$ passengers consumes the same energy on a journey as $10$ cars travelling the same route with only one person in each, as shown in the figure.

1. a) How many times less energy per person does the bus consume compared to the car?
2. b) Explain why using public transport helps to use fewer non-renewable sources.
3. c) Propose two other ways to reduce the energy spent on transport.

Unit challenge. Energy audit of a cup of herbal tea.

1. Phase 1: Home measurement. Heat $200\text{ ml}$ of water in a saucepan or microwave. Using a kitchen thermometer (uncertainty of $\pm 0.5\text{ }^\circ\text{C}$), measure the temperature every $30\text{ s}$ for $2\text{ min}$. Create a data table ($t$, $T$) and plot the graph of $T$ versus $t$. Explain what energy transformations took place and where useful energy losses occurred.

2. Phase 2: Source tracing. Access the EirGrid website (Smart Grid Dashboard) at the time you carried out the experiment. Record the percentage of electricity generation coming from renewable sources (wind, solar, hydroelectric) and non-renewable sources (gas, coal, peat).

3. Phase 3: Short report. Write a one-page proposal relating the energy used in your kitchen to the environmental impact of the consulted electricity mix, proposing two feasible energy-saving measures for your home.

Evaluation criteria:

• Rigour in data collection, uncertainty calculation, and graphical representation ($T$ vs. $t$).

• Correct identification of energy forms, transformations, and degradation.

• Critical analysis of actual EirGrid data (renewables vs. non-renewables) and feasibility of the proposals.