10.4.8

Renewable: HEP & Geothermal

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HEP and Geothermal Energy

HEP and geothermal energy are both ways to generate renewable energy.

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Advantages of HEP

  • HEP involves using water from a river stored behind a dam to turn a turbine and generate electricity.
  • Advantages:
    • Once set up, they are very cheap to run.
    • No carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
    • The water can be used as an additional drinking water source.
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Disadvantages of HEP

  • A very specific location is needed: impermeable rock, steep valley sides for the dam to be constructed, high levels of rainfall to replenish the water supply, and a large area of land that can be flooded behind the dam.
  • It is very expensive to build the dam.
  • Dams that break can cause massive flooding downstream, e.g. during an earthquake.
  • The dam affects wildlife that move upstream to mate (e.g. salmon).
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Advantages of geothermal

  • Geothermal energy involves using naturally heated rocks in volcanic areas to heat water into steam to turn turbines to make electricity.
  • Advantages:
  • There is an unlimited supply of power.
  • No carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.
  • This energy source is not reliant on the weather.
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Disadvantages of geothermal

  • This energy can only be produced in volcanic areas.
  • The power stations are expensive to build and unpleasant to look at.

Jump to other topics

1Paper 1 - Changing River Environnments

2Paper 1 - Changing Coastal Environments

3Paper 1 - Changing Ecosystems

4Paper 1 - Tectonic Hazards

5Paper 1 - Climate Change

6Paper 2 - Changing Populations

7Paper 2 - Changing Towns & Cities

8Paper 2 - Development

9Paper 2 - Changing Economies

10Paper 2 - Resource Provision

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