Energy Resources: Advantages & Disadvantages

Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages

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Energy Resources

1. Draw the chart to the left in your notebook. You may want to use 2 pages.

2. As you read through the information on the following slides, fill in the chart with the advantages and disadvantages of each energy resource.

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Instructions

• Cheaper

• Can be stored in containers for later use

​​Advantages

• Releases greenhouse gasses when burned, causing pollution

• Nonrenewable

​​Disadvantages

​Fossil Fuels

• Clean - no pollution

• Renewable

​​Advantages

• Noisy and unattractive

• Can cause harm to birds and disturb birds and bats

​​Disadvantages

Wind Energy

• Generates lots of electricity

​​Advantages

• Releases radioactive waste

• Environmental Disasters

​​Disadvantages

Nuclear Energy

• Clean - no pollution

• Renewable

​​Advantages

• Expensive cost upfront

• Takes lots of land space

• Must have sunlight

​​Disadvantages

Solar Panel Farsms

• Effective fuel source for transportation

​​Advantages

• Nonrenewable

• Oil spills

​​Disadvantages

Petroleum (Oil)

• Clean - No pollution

• Renewable

​​Advantages

• Building hydrodams can disturb aquatic ecosystems

​​Disadvantages

Hydroelectric

• Produces lots of energy

• Renewable

​​Advantages

• Can only be reached in certain geographic locations

​​Disadvantages

Geothermal

• Produces very little pollution

• Renewable

​​Advantages

• Not as efficient as fossil fuels

• Contributes to deforestation

​​Disadvantages

Biomass

• Cheaper

• Can be stored in containers for later use

​​Advantages

• Pollution

• Nonrenewable

• Pipelines used to transfer the gas disturb land and habitats

​​Disadvantages

Natural Gas

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an advantage of using solar energy?

• It is a clean, renewable source of energy

• It causes pollution

• It is cheaper than fossil fuels

• It is more expensive to install

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a disadvantage of fossil fuels?

• They are cheaper than renewable sources

• They release greenhouse gases when burned

• They release radioactive waste when burned

• They generate lots of energy

Multiple Choice

Which of the following describes a disadvantage of wind mill farms?

• They are cheaper than fossil fuels

• They release greenhouse gases, causing pollution

• They release radioactive waste

• They can disturb birds and bats and interrupt their migration routes

Multiple Choice

True or False: Nuclear energy releases radioactive waste, which can be dangerous.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Petroleum is a product of oil. Which of the following could be impacted if there was a shortage?

• Our homes could be impacted

• Transportation could be impacted

• Water companies could be impacted

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a disadvantage of harnessing hydro-power?

• Building dams could harm birds.

• Building dams takes a lot of land space

• Building dams can disturb aquatic ecosystems

Multiple Choice

Geothermal energy is renewable and produces a lot of energy. Which of the following could describe why it is not used in more places?

• Geothermal energy can only be reached in certain locations.

• Geothermal energy causes a lot of pollution

• Geothermal energy releases radioactive waste