National & global energy resources

Which energy source is non-renewable ?

A Biofuel

B Nuclear fuel

C Solar

D Wind

This question is about how electricity is generated.

A student writes down advantages and disadvantages of wind turbines.

The student has made one mistake.

State the letter of the statement that is in the wrong place.

The student writes down a list of renewable and non‑renewable energy sources.

The student has made one mistake.

State the name of the energy source that is in the wrong place.

It might not be possible to replace all non‑renewable energy sources with renewable energy sources to generate enough electricity in the future.

Suggest two reasons why this might not be possible.

The table shows the percentages of electricity generated by different energy sources in the UK in

The student plots a bar chart using the data in the table.

Draw a bar for gas and a bar for wind on the bar chart.

The total electricity generated in the UK in 2020 was 315 TW h.

Solar produced 4% of the total electricity generated.

Calculate the amount of electricity generated in TW h from solar.

Amount of electricity =........ TW h

The total electricity generated in the UK in 2020 was 315 TW h.

1 TW h = 1 000 000 000 kW h

What is the total amount of electricity generated in kW h?

Tick (✓) one box.

Which sentence is a disadvantage of using wind turbines? Tick (✓) one box.

Which sentence is an advantage of using solar panels? Tick (✓) one box.

Which energy resource produces the most energy per kilogram of fuel?

coal gas oil nuclear

Which energy resource can be used to cope with the extra demand for electricity starting at X ?

tidal gas wind turbines solar

Use the graph to estimate the maximum demand for electricity.

At 12:00, the demand for electricity is 34 GW.

Calculate the percentage decrease in demand for electricity from 12:00 to 13:00.

Give your answer to 1 decimal place.

Suggest a reason for the decrease in demand for electricity at 12:00.

The graph shows how demand for electricity changes during a typical day in the UK.

Different energy sources can be used by the national grid at different times.

Describe how the demand for electricity changes from 14:00 to 23:00.

Explain why a gas fired power station is started at X.

The baseload demand is the minimum demand for electricity during the day.

Use the graph to calculate the baseload demand as a percentage of the maximum demand.

Suggest a type of power station which is suitable for supplying the baseload.

A satellite receiver can be used to watch television channels. It works using a remote control.

Channel 4 uses a wave with a frequency of 1.0714 × 10¹⁰ Hz. (a)

The speed of the wave is 3.0 × 10⁸ m / s.

Calculate the wavelength of the wave.

Use the equation: wave speed = frequency × wavelength Give your answer to 3 decimal places.

The remote control emits infra-red or radio waves when a button is pressed.

The remote control also contains a light which flashes when a button is pressed.

Explain why the light is needed to show when a button is being pressed.

A student uses a smart meter to check their energy use at home.

The student thinks they can save energy by unplugging their satellite receiver from the mains supply for 8 hours at night.

Calculate the amount of energy saved by unplugging the receiver compared to switching the receiver off for 8 hours at night. Use the Data Sheet.

Give your answer in kWh.

The government wants all homes to have a smart meter by 2024.

Describe how smart meters may change the way energy resources are used. Use your answer to (c)(i).

X and Y are radioactive isotopes. They emit either alpha particles or beta particles.

Complete Table 14.1 to show what happens to a nucleus of an atom when an alpha particle or a beta particle is emitted.

A scientist measures the half-life of isotope X.

They measure the half-life three times.

Why do they get a slightly different result each time?

After 18 days, the ratio of the activity of X to the initial activity of X is 1:4.

Calculate the half-life of isotope X.

Isotope X only gives out beta particles. Isotope Y only gives out alpha particles.

The scientist measures the activity of one of the isotopes using a Geiger counter.

They then place a material between the isotope and the Geiger counter and record the reading.

Table 14.2 shows their results:

Which isotope are they using?

Give two reasons for your answer.

The scientist accidentally places isotope X close to isotope Y.

Explain why isotope Y is irradiated, but not contaminated, by isotope X.

Nuclear power is non-renewable and the plants can produce nuclear waste.

Suggest two reasons why some countries still use nuclear power.

15* A turbine contains a rotating blade.

Fig. 15.1 is a diagram of a wind turbine and Fig. 15.2 is a diagram of a water (tidal) turbine.

A volume of air (wind) or water (tidal) flows through the turbine every second.

Some of the kinetic energy of the air or water is transferred.

This table gives information about wind and tidal turbines:

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of using each type of turbine.

Use kinetic energy calculations to support your answer.

Electricity can be produced in a power station.

Explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

Give one example of each energy source to help explain your answer.

The national grid transfers energy from power stations to consumers.

Explain how the national grid transfers energy in an efficient way.

This graph shows current and potential difference for the secondary coil of a transformer.

Potential difference across secondary coil (10⁵ V)

The potential difference across the primary coil is 160 000 V. The current in the secondary coil is 2400 A.

Calculate the current in the primary coil of the transformer.

Use data from the graph in your calculations.

The table shows some information about electrical appliances in the home.

Appliance	Power (W)	Current (A)	Resistance ()
Hairdryer	1800	7.8	29.6
Heater	800	3.5	66.1
Iron	2000	8.7	26.4
Kettle	2500	10.9	21.0

A teacher says: ‘As power increases, resistance increases’

Use data from the table to explain your answer.

The kettle is switched on for 60 seconds.

Calculate the energy transferred.

Electricity companies do not use joules (J) in electricity bills. Electricity companies use kilowatt-hours (kWh).

A hairdryer has a power of 1800 W.

What is the power of the hairdryer in kilowatts (kW)?

Suggest why electricity companies charge for electricity using kWh.

The average electricity consumption per household changes every year.

The graph shows how this changes from the year 2008 to the year 2015.

Describe and explain the trend shown by the graph.

Which sentence describes a renewable energy source?

A An energy source that can be replaced in your lifetime.

B An energy source that cannot be used again and again.

C An energy source that is not made from fossil fuels.

D An energy source that will run out.