Deck 20: Sustainable Energy

Question 1

Biomass is a relatively recently discovered energy source.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Which of the following solar energy uses has been used by people for thousands of years?

A) Parabolic solar collection
B) Active solar heating system
C) Passive heat absorption
D) Cogeneration
E) All of these are correct.

Answer 2

Passive heat absorption

Question 3

Cogeneration refers to

A) production of both electricity and usable steam or hot water by the same facility.
B) cooperative efforts between power producers and consumers aimed at sharing profits from energy sales.
C) sale of electrical power by consumers back to the electrical grid.
D) the production of electricity using several different fuel sources at a single facility.

Answer 3

production of both electricity and usable steam or hot water by the same facility.

Question 4

Most of our energy waste in North America results from

A) A failure to turn off lights
B) Technological inefficiency
C) The fact that more efficient energy conversion is not possible
D) Overwhelming public ignorance of conservation issues
E) The fact that energy conservation techniques are quite expensive

Question 5

Automobiles and light trucks account for ______ of U.S. oil consumption.

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 40 percent
D) 60 percent

Question 6

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

A) use hydrogen gas for fuel.
B) produce water as their only waste product.
C) are currently available in many states.
D) use hydrogen gas for fuel and produce water as their only waste product.

Question 7

The most serious drawback to fuel cells is the expense of providing an oxygen source.

Question 8

Improved insulation, energy efficient windows and curtains, and caulking and sealing cracks could reduce commercial building and household energy loss by up to __________ percent.

A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 50

Question 9

Energy efficiency is a measure of

A) Heat produced by a barrel of fuel
B) Energy stored in a unit of fuel
C) Energy produced compared to energy consumed
D) Total energy consumed over a year divided by time spent
E) Energy used per unit of time

Question 10

Passive heat absorption refers to

A) the cooling of solar panels used to generate electricity.
B) using natural materials to gather and hold heat.
C) using water to cool nuclear power plants.

Question 11

Many of the places with the greatest potential for solar and wind development are far from the urban centers where the power is needed.

Question 12

The quickest and easiest way to save money on energy bills is to

A) Install a new water heater
B) Modify your energy-using behavior
C) Put new insulation in your home
D) Buy a more efficient automobile
E) Install a new furnace

Question 13

How does eating locally grown food in season save energy?

A) Locally grown food does not need to be transported far distances.
B) Locally grown food does not use petroleum-based fertilizers.
C) Locally grown food does not use petroleum-based pesticides.
D) Locally grown food supports local farmers.
E) All of these are ways that eating locally grown food in season saves energy.

Question 14

Photovoltaic systems are characterized by all of the following except

A) they convert sunlight into electricity.
B) they are difficult to use where conventional electricity is unavailable.
C) they have become more efficient over the past 25 years.
D) they are economically competitive with fossil fuels in many places.

Question 15

A glass greenhouse on the south side of a building is an example of

A) Parabolic collection
B) An active solar heating system
C) Passive heat absorption
D) Cogeneration
E) Charging fuel cells to increase efficiency in energy use

Question 16

The reformer in a fuel cell system

A) provides oxygen for the energy-releasing chemical reactions.
B) extracts hydrogen atoms from a variety of chemical substrates.
C) stores energy much like a battery.

Question 17

Wood and charcoal burning is still the main energy source for about 30 percent of the world's population.

Question 18

In favorable locations, wind power is cheaper than other new energy sources.

Question 19

Home appliances in standby mode can account for up to 25 percent of a monthly electric bill.

Question 20

The idea of cogeneration is to actively use ________ electricity generating plants.

A) Solar as well as coal energy to produce electricity at
B) Warm water as well as steam to produce electricity at
C) Two kinds of fuel (e.g., coal and oil) at
D) Both electricity and waste steam heat from
E) Two different types of thermal conversion machines for increased efficiency at

Question 21

Manure or dung makes a good fuel except that it is

A) Scarce
B) Not clean
C) Needed to rebuild the soil
D) Difficult to burn
E) Commonly full of pathogens

Question 22

Active solar energy systems involve

A) Large volumes of massive heat absorbers
B) Pumps and moving fluids
C) Photovoltaic cells
D) Cogeneration
E) Stationary materials to gather and hold heat

Question 23

Amorphous silicon collectors are currently being used in

A) Lighthouses
B) Watches
C) Toys
D) Roof tiles
E) All of these

Question 24

Where does wind energy have the greatest potential to create electricity?

A) mountain tops and valleys
B) the great plains, shore lines, and mountain tops
C) shorelines and in valleys
D) the great plains and southeastern US

Question 25

Photovoltaic cells work because solar energy striking their surface

A) Causes the cells to liquefy as they heat
B) Releases electrons, causing an electric potential in attached wires
C) Is collected in the form of photons and sent through attached wires
D) Causes an uneven magnetic charge to develop
E) Changes to chemical energy

Question 26

Photovoltaic electricity costs are __________ coal or nuclear-powered electricity.

A) substantially less than
B) unlikely to become as cheap as
C) incomparably more expensive than
D) likely to be cheaper in the near future than
E) the same as

Question 27

In the United States and Canada, the MOST common problem with using wood as a major heat source is

A) The cost
B) Wood shortages
C) That it separates people from the utility grid
D) The production of pollutants
E) None of these is correct

Question 28

The most effective technology developed so far to produce solar energy concentrated enough to run an industrial furnace or turbine is to use rev: 06_16_2014_QC_50439

A) Parabolic mirrors
B) Cogeneration
C) Passive heat absorption
D) Photovoltaic cells
E) Smart meters

Question 29

Since the 1920s, hydropower production has

A) Risen, but not as fast as fossil fuel use
B) Fallen due to disinterest
C) Fallen due to a lack of available sites
D) Become our most important energy source
E) Stayed at about the same level

Question 30

In the United States, windmills played a critical role in the settlement of

A) Appalachia
B) The Sierra Nevadas
C) The Great Plains
D) The Rocky Mountains
E) The Northeast

Question 31

Burning methane from dung

A) Is more efficient than burning the dung directly
B) Provides more heat than burning the dung directly
C) Allows the dung to also be used as a fertilizer
D) Is more efficient than burning the dung directly and it allows the dung to also be used as a fertilizer
E) All of these are correct

Question 32

Jatropha is a good source for biodiesel because

A) It's nuts have a high energy content
B) It grows in most climate zones
C) It will grow in sun or shade
D) It's leaves are easily combustible
E) It is readily available worldwide

Question 33

Which of the following is true regarding fuel cell technology?

A) They were first designed by NASA.
B) They must be recharged with an electrical current.
C) They are only about 40-45% efficient.
D) They must receive a constant supply of water and oxygen.
E) A fuel cell stack providing all of the electricity for a typical home is not feasible because it would be too large.

Question 34

A system of pipes painted black that have water circulating on the wall in a glass greenhouse on the south side of a building is an example of

A) Parabolic collection
B) An active solar heating system
C) Passive heat absorption
D) Cogeneration
E) Charging fuel cells to increase efficiency in energy use

Question 35

A(n) __________________ is used to remove hydrogen from various fuels to be used in fuel cells.

A) Transformer
B) Electrolyte
C) Reformer
D) Catalyst
E) Cathode

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a drawback of using windmills for energy?

A) Windmills are not always visually appealing.
B) Wind is not always constant.
C) Windmills cannot be placed on shorelines.
D) Windmills kill birds.

Question 37

____________ is being used to produce ethanol and lessen the dependance on oil.

A) Palm oil
B) Corn
C) Miscanthus grass
D) Soybeans
E) All of the above are being grown for ethanol production.

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT normally considered a biomass fuel?

A) Wood
B) Bark
C) Waste wood chips
D) Branches
E) All of these are biomass fuels.

Question 39

Very few living trees are cut down for fuel in ______________ because twigs, branches, and crop residues are used for fuel. However, in ________ the forests are nearly gone and even fruit trees are cut for fuel.

A) Pakistan; India
B) Pakistan; Haiti
C) Haiti; Pakistan
D) India; Haiti
E) Haiti; China

Question 40

Parabolic mirrors ________ sunlight on a collecting medium.

A) selectively focus the brightest
B) selectively reflect the brightest
C) deflect the most
D) diffuse intense
E) focus intense

Question 41

Mixing ethanol with gasoline makes the gasoline burn cleaner and is now required by most states.

Question 42

Capturing waste heat in a thermal-electric plant can increase efficiency from 30 percent to 80 or 90 percent.

Question 43

United States companies currently dominate the $1 billion (US) per year market of wind technology.

Question 44

Siltation and decreased water quality are especially significant problems with

A) Micro-hydro dams
B) Mini-hydro dams
C) Huge dams on major rivers
D) Low-head hydropower technology
E) All of these equally

Question 45

Geothermal energy uses ________ to produce usable heat or electricity.

A) Naturally occurring hot groundwater
B) Artificially heated water injected below ground
C) Molten rock from below ground
D) Underground radioactive decay
E) Waste heat water from power plants that is stored underground

Question 46

Tidal power stations operate by using

A) The differential heat of inshore and offshore waters
B) Electrolytic decomposition of saltwater
C) Turbines that spin in the flow of tide water
D) The energy from waves as they crash on the shore
E) All of these together

Question 47

Improving standards of living have been repeatedly demonstrated to require increased energy consumption.

Question 48

Ocean thermal electric conversion (OTEC) uses _________ to produce usable energy.

A) Warm surface water and cold deep seawater
B) Hot water from below the seafloor
C) Fossil fuel-heated seawater
D) Heat from deep-ocean thermal vents
E) Cold surface water and warm deep seawater

Question 49

Wind energy is an option that has few global supporters.

Question 50

Low-head hydropower involves ___________ dams on ___________ rivers.

A) Large; major
B) Small; minor
C) Large; minor
D) Small; major
E) Medium-sized; minor

Question 51

Ocean thermal electric conversion systems would operate best in

A) Cold, deep polar seas
B) Warm, deep tropical seas
C) Cold, shallow temperate seas
D) Warm, shallow freshwater lakes
E) Warm, shallow tropical seas

Question 52

Evaluate the use of biomass, hydropower, wind, and geothermal energy as potential large scale energy sources. In your evaluation provide the pros and cons and the context for which each energy source would best work.

Question 53

Some highly efficient turbines can be submerged directly in a river and require only _______ to operate.

A) Run-of-the-river flow
B) Low-head dams
C) A low, natural waterfall
D) A slow trickle of water
E) A high, natural waterfall

Question 54

Describe the best energy source option(s) for a rural area in a tropical developing country with no coastal access. Be sure you support why this is the best energy source for the area.

Question 55

Most of North America's wind potential is located offshore.