Chapter 32 Qs

& As

Question
1. Why does Jim want to a wind power
plant off of the coast of Nantucket?

Answer
There is a lot of wind in that area, and the electricity
demand is rapidly increasing. Cape Cod also has a
problem with air pollution and has been the site of oil
spills, so he hopes this will reduce emissions and
focus to improve the environment.

Question
2. Describe two features that increase
plant efficiency in the combined cycle
power that Jim developed.

Answer
These power plants are combined cycle natural gas plants, so energy is
extracted twice from burning natural gas. As the natural gas is burned,
it expands rapidly and turns a generator.

Question
3. Using what you know about turbines,
explain with words and drawings how a
wind turbine generates electricity.

Answer
A wind turbine is a device that produces electrical energy from wind. It
consists of a fan blade called a rotor, a shaft, and an electrical
generator.

Question
4. What advantages does wind power
generation have over coal-fired power
plants? What are the disadvantages?

Answer
Advantages: Wind is renewable and does not create pollution. It does
not need to be mined, transported, or stored.
Disadvantages: Wind speed varies from day to day, so its hard to prdict
what the daily output will be.

Question
5. Use the library and the Internet to other
research other types of renewable energy
sources?

Answer
Hydroelectric power
Geothermal power
Power from the ocean tides
Ethanol, biodiesel, and the biofuels

Question
6. Based on what you know about
electricity generation, how might falling
water, found in a waterfall or a stream
flowing downhill, be used to generate
electricity?

Answer
The use of flowing water to produce electricity is called hydroelectric
power, or just hydropower. The force of the flowing water turns a kind of
water wheel, which is connected by a shaft to an electric generator.
There are good descriptions on the the Internet for how different types
of hydropower turbines work.