Quick questions on Energy resources and the energy transition: HSC Earth and Environmental Science Module 8

Renewable sources draw on continuous natural flows. Solar power converts sunlight directly to electricity; inland Australia has one of the world's best solar resources, and large solar farms and rooftop solar are expanding rapidly. Wind power converts moving air, with major wind farms across South Australia and Victoria. Hydroelectricity converts the energy of falling water; the Snowy Mountains Scheme has generated low-emission power and stored water for decades, and the Snowy 2.0 pumped-hydro project adds large-scale energy storage.

Australia is shifting from a coal-dominated electricity system toward renewables backed by storage. Coal-fired power stations are closing as solar and wind, supported by batteries and pumped hydro such as Snowy 2.0, take a growing share. The transition reduces emissions and exploits a world-class renewable resource, but it raises challenges of reliability, grid investment, and supporting workers and regions that depend on coal. A balanced judgement is that the transition is both necessary for emissions reduction and technically achievable, provided storage and grid capacity keep pace.

Explain why fossil fuels are classified as non-renewable and describe how coal forms. [3 marks]

Evaluate the replacement of coal-fired electricity with solar and wind backed by storage in Australia. [4 marks]