Revision NotesPast Papers
GCSEScienceWJECScience (Double Award)PhysicsRevision NotesElectricity, Energy & WavesGenerating ElectricityRenewable & Non-Renewable Energy

Renewable & Non-Renewable Energy (WJEC GCSE Science (Double Award)): Revision Note

Leander Oates

Last updated

WJEC Science (Double Award): PhysicsWJEC Physics

Renewable Energy

  • Energy resources are large stores of energy that can be used to generate electricity, heat building, and provide fuel for transport

  • There are two types of energy resource:

    • Renewable

    • Non-renewable

  • Renewable energy resources are defined as

    An energy source that is replenished at a faster rate than it is being used 

  • This means that renewable energy resources will not run out

  • Examples of renewable energy technologies are:

    • Hydroelectric

    • Wind power

    • Wave power

    • Tidal power

    • Solar power

    • Biofuels (including animal waste, wood, and fast growing crops)

    • Geothermal

  • There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of energy resource so generally a mixture of technologies are used

Table of Advantages & Disadvantages of Renewable Energy Technologies

Technology

Advantages

Disadvantages

Hydroelectric

  • Reliable

  • Can produce large amounts of energy 

  • Can be switched on and off quickly & easily (almost instant start up time)

  • Produces no pollution or greenhouse gases

  • No fuel costs

  • Can involve flooding large areas

  • People and wildlife living in those areas are displaced

  • Habitats are destroyed

  • Building of dams and reservoirs is expensive 

  • High-voltage power lines are needed to transmit the electricity

  • Drought can affect the supply of water

Wind power

  • Produces no pollution or greenhouse gases

  • Land can still be used for farming

  • No fuel costs

  • Not reliable (wind doesn't blow all the time)

  • Each turbine can only produce a small amount of electricity so many are needed

  • High-voltage power lines are needed to transmit the electricity

  • Visual pollution (some people think turbines are ugly)

Wave & tidal power

  • Tidal is very predictable

  • Large amounts of energy can be generated at regular intervals

  • No fuel costs

  • Produces no pollution or greenhouse gases

  • Both wave and tidal technologies can be turned on and off very quickly

  • Very few suitable locations for tidal barrages

  • Tidal barrages cause flooding of estuaries, destroy habitats & disrupt shipping

  • Wave technology can disrupt shipping & injure wildlife

  • Wave energy is unreliable (waves are not always large enough)

Solar power

  • Produces no pollution or greenhouse gases

  • Good for use in remote places

  • Readily available

  • Relatively cheap set up costs

  • Can be used in heavily populated areas

  • Can be placed on top of buildings

  • Unreliable (only works when the sun shines)

  • Each solar cell only produces a small amount of electricity so many are needed

  • Solar farms take up lots of land

Biofuels

  • Crops are carbon neutral (the CO2 produced when burned is equal to the CO2 absorbed by photosynthesis when growing)

  • A lot of farm land is required to grow the crops or wood

  • Carbon dioxide is still released into the atmosphere

Geothermal

  • Reliable

  • Power stations are usually small

  • Produces no pollution

  • Cheap form of energy

  • Not many suitable places

  • Harmful gases can be released from underground

Non-Renewable Energy

  • Non-renewable energy resources are defined as

    An energy source that is not replenished at a faster rate than it is being used 

  • This means that non-renewable energy resources are finite and will eventually run out

  • Examples of non-renewable energy technologies are:

    • Fossil fuels

      • Coal

      • Oil

      • Natural gas (methane)

    • Nuclear

Fossil Fuels

1-8-2-fossil-fuels-cie-igcse-23-rn

The three fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas

  • There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of energy resource so generally a mixture of technologies are used

Table of Advantages & Disadvantages of Non-renewable Energy Technologies

Technology

Advantages

Disadvantages

Fossil fuels

  • Reliable

  • Can produce large amounts of energy 

  • Relatively cheap

  • Produce sulphur dioxide (which causes acid rain)

  • Produces carbon dioxide ( a greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming)

  • Coal produces soot which damages buildings and plants and causes breathing difficulties

  • Large amounts of fuel are needed

Nuclear power

  • Reliable

  • No pollution or greenhouses produced

  • Can produce large amounts of energy

  • Nuclear power stations are expensive to build

  • Nuclear power stations are expensive to decommission

  • Produces radioactive waste that needs to be stored for thousands of years

You've read 0 of your 5 free revision notes this week

Sign up now. It’s free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

    Did this page help you?

    Previous:Power & ResistanceNext:Generating Electricity
    Leander Oates

    Author: Leander Oates

    Expertise: Physics

    Leander graduated with First-class honours in Science and Education from Sheffield Hallam University. She won the prestigious Lord Robert Winston Solomon Lipson Prize in recognition of her dedication to science and teaching excellence. After teaching and tutoring both science and maths students, Leander now brings this passion for helping young people reach their potential to her work at SME.