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VICEnvironmental ScienceQuick questions
Unit 4: How can climate change and energy use be managed?
Quick questions on Renewable and non-renewable energy sources (fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, wind, hydro): VCE Environmental Science Unit 4
9short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are non-renewable energy sources?Show answer
Non-renewable sources exist in finite amounts and are not replenished on a human timescale.
What are renewable energy sources?Show answer
Renewable sources are naturally replenished and effectively inexhaustible on a human timescale.
What are fossil fuels?Show answer
Formed from ancient organic matter over millions of years. Burning them releases stored chemical energy and large quantities of carbon dioxide, the main driver of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Australia has long relied on coal-fired power stations such as those in Victoria's Latrobe Valley (brown coal).
What is nuclear?Show answer
Energy released by nuclear fission of uranium. It produces almost no greenhouse gas during operation and very high output from a small amount of fuel. Australia mines and exports uranium but does not generate nuclear electricity.
What is solar?Show answer
Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight to electricity; solar thermal systems concentrate heat. Australia has abundant sunshine and high rooftop-solar uptake. - Advantages: no operating emissions, fuel is free, scalable from rooftops to large farms.
What is wind?Show answer
Turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into electricity, as at large wind farms in Victoria and South Australia. - Advantages: no operating emissions, low running cost, land beneath turbines can still be farmed. - Disadvantages: intermittent, can affect birds and bats, visual and noise concerns.
What is hydroelectricity?Show answer
Moving water drives turbines, as in the Snowy Mountains Scheme. - Advantages: reliable, dispatchable, can store energy via pumped hydro (Snowy 2.0). - Disadvantages: dams flood habitats, alter river flows and block fish migration, limited to suitable sites.
What is geothermal?Show answer
Heat from within the Earth drives turbines or heats buildings. Limited in Australia but used in some hot-rock trials. - Advantages: reliable baseload, very low emissions, small footprint.
What is biomass?Show answer
Energy from organic material (crop waste, wood, biogas from landfill or manure). Considered renewable when the source is regrown. - Advantages: uses waste, can be dispatchable, roughly carbon-neutral if replanted.