'Green' energy sources | Advantages | Disadvantages |
Wind | • Free • Renewable • No dangerous emissions • Can be used in remote areas • Can be used with other renewable energy sources | • Needs a reliable source of wind • Wind speed can change • Noisy and visually unappealing • Turbines expensive to maintain • Energy storage devices (batteries) are necessary |
Hydro-electric | • Renewable • One of the most efficient energy sources (kinetic energy of water converted to electrical energy) • No dangerous emissions • No fuel is needed • Less expensive to run compared to other sources • Energy can be gathered straight away (other generation stations take hours to start) • Electricity can be stored for later use • Hydroelectric plants only need a turbine and generator | • Construction is expensive • Site specific ( you can’t build wherever you want) • Hydroelectric plants have a negative effect on environment (areas are flooded, habitats are lost, people lose their land) |
Solar | • Sunlight is free • Renewable • Climate suitable for solar energy • No dangerous emissions • Converts sunlight directly to electrical energy • Can provide energy to remote areas | • Solar cells can impact on the environment • Energy must be stored in batteries • Thermal solar systems are expensive • Takes up a large area • Dust, smoke and weather conditions affect performance of energy collectors |
Tidal | • No dangerous emissions • Renewable • Provides secondary benefits (bridges and roads built over tidal generators) | • Facilities are expensive to construct • Can raise tidal levels • Changes the sedimentation and turbidity (how clear it is) of the water system • Can flood shoreline (affects marine population) |
Geothermal | • renewable • produces no greenhouse gases • limited land necessary for mining structures • limited impact on landscape | • sites can run out of heat for significant periods of time • difficult to safely dispose of hazardous minerals that are produced • difficult to find and use suitable reserves of geothermal energy |
Monday, October 17, 2011
What are the advantages and disadvantages of other ‘green energy’ sources?
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