Lesson focus: energy resourceSomething we can get useful energy from, such as wind, sunlight, coal or gas. are primary sources or stores used to supply electricityEnergy carried by charges moving around a circuit., heating and transport, each with different constraints.
Classify resources and trace energy transfers from resource to useful output.
Build on earlier learning
Energy adds upStore and pathway language now describes whole energy-supply chains.
You will be successful when you can…
- Define renewable and non-renewable.
- Classify major resources.
- Trace generation pathways.
- Avoid confusing resource with electricity.
Words that carry the science
- energy resource
- A source or store used to meet an energy demand.
- renewable
- Replenished naturally at least as fast as it is used on human timescales.
- non-renewable
- Finite on human timescales because use greatly exceeds replenishment.
- generator
- A device that transfers kinetic energy into electrical energy.
- electricity
- An energy-transfer carrier supplied through circuits, not a primary resource.
Resources differ in replenishment
01Resources differ in replenishment
Solar, wind, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, geothermal and sustainably managed biomass can be renewableWill not run out because it is naturally replaced, such as wind or sunlight.. Coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear fuels are non-renewableWill run out because it cannot be replaced quickly, such as coal, oil and gas..
renewableWill not run out because it is naturally replaced, such as wind or sunlight. does not mean impact-free, unlimited or continuously available. It describes replenishment rate relative to use.
02Generators need a turning input
Many power stations use a resource to turn a turbine connected to a generatorA machine that turns movement into electricity.. Fossil and nuclear stations heat water; wind and moving water can turn turbines directly.
Solar photovoltaic cells transfer energy from radiation directly into electrical transfer without a turbine.
03Electricity carries transferred energy
electricityEnergy carried by charges moving around a circuit. is generated from resources and carries energy to devices. It is not mined or replenished as a primary energy resourceSomething we can get useful energy from, such as wind, sunlight, coal or gas..
Batteries store energy chemically and transfer it electrically when connected; they do not create energy.
From energy resource to electricity
Most power stations heat water to make steam. The steam spins a turbine, which turns a generator to make electricity. Wind and hydroelectric power turn the turbine directly. Transformers and the National Grid carry the electricity to homes.
Orange box: the stage happening now. Orange dot: energy being transferred to the next stage.
Controls
Trace a gas-fired supply chain
Describe the transfers from natural gas to a moving train powered from the grid.
- Natural gas begins with a chemical energy store.
- Combustion transfers energy by heating to water and steam.
- Steam turns a turbine and generatorA machine that turns movement into electricity., producing electrical transfer to the grid.
- The train motor transfers energy mechanically into kinetic stores, with dissipation at each stage.
How to make the reasoning visible: The chain changes stores and pathways while total energy remains conserved.
Classify resource pathways
Use the principal pathway and timescale.
| Resource | Renewability | Main intermediate | Weather-dependent? |
|---|---|---|---|
| wind | renewable | moving air → turbine | yes |
| natural gas | non-renewable | combustion → steam/turbine | no |
| solar PV | renewable | radiation → electrical | yes |
| nuclear | non-renewable | nuclear store → steam/turbine | no |
Which two rows avoid combustion?
Why is electricity absent from the resource column?
Check your understanding
Answer from memory, then check against the suggested answer.
Define renewable.
Is nuclear renewable?
What does a generator do?
Classify a rechargeable battery as an energy resource.
Why can biomass be renewable yet still increase atmospheric carbon dioxide?
Exam Question Practice
Exam Question Practice
Mark points shown after marking
A wind turbine supplies electricity to a lamp.
Describe the energy transfers from the wind to the generator.
(3)Describe the energy transfers from the generator to the lamp.
(2)Total for this question: 5 marks
Command word: Trace the chain in order and distinguish stores from transfer pathways.