Sustainable sources of electricity (non-statutory) | Science

Starter quiz

What is a power plant?
- A place where electricity is generated. ✓
- A place where big plants are grown.
- A place where plants are used to make medicines.
- A really strong plant.
What can cars use to make them move?
- petrol ✓
- washer fluid
- diesel ✓
- electricity ✓
What is a greenhouse for?
- To keep plants dry while they grow.
- To keep plants warm while they grow. ✓
- To keep plants cool while they grow.
______ dioxide is a greenhouse gas emitted from petrol and diesel cars.
- 'Carbon' ✓
A fossil is the remains or imprint of living things that are sometimes preserved in rock. How long does it take for a fossil to form?
- 10 years
- 100 years
- 1000 years
- over 10,000 years ✓
A ______ is something that can be used to produce heat or light and electricity is now considered an alternative example of this.
- 'fuel' ✓

Traditionally, electricity has been generated by burning ______ fuels.
- animal
- plant
- buried
- fossil ✓
What do greenhouse gases do to the Sun’s heat?
- prevent it from reaching Earth
- trap it close to Earth ✓
- Nothing
Why are alternative ways of generating electricity being investigated?
- The work challenges scientists to think scientifically.
- It gives scientists new projects.
- They can be less harmful to the environment. ✓
- They are more engaging.
Which of these is true about sustainable sources of electricity?
- They will run out.
- They won’t run out. ✓
- They are made by people.
- They take millions of years to form.
How is hydroelectricity generated?
- from moving wind
- from sunlight
- from Earth’s heat
- from moving water ✓
Which of these are sustainable sources of electricity?
- petrol
- biomass ✓
- diesel
- geothermal ✓

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Generating electricity by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, or gas) produces greenhouse gases that trap the Sun's heat.
There are alternative ways of generating electricity that can be less harmful to the environment.
Electricity can be produced from sustainable sources that won’t run out, such as sunlight and wind.
Hydroelectricity is a sustainable source that is generated by the power of moving water.
Other sustainable sources of electricity are biomass and geothermal.

The only problem with using fossil fuels to generate electricity is that burning them produces greenhouse gases.

The lesson will explore additional concerns including the finite supply of fossil fuels and the fact that burning them causes air pollution.

Generate - To generate electricity is to produce it.
Fossil fuels - Fossil fuels are fuels made over millions of years from fossilised plants and animals buried deep beneath Earth's surface.
Greenhouse gas - Gases which contribute towards global warming are called greenhouse gases.
Global warming - Global warming is a result of the processes that cause the average temperature of Earth to rise.
Sustainable sources - Sustainable sources of electricity are those which do not need to be replaced because they will never run out.