1. Wind Energy – energy from the wind
Geothermal Energy – energy from the Earth
Deep underground, the Earth’s rocks are naturally very hot. We can turn their heat energy into electrical energy to use in our homes – we call this ‘geothermal energy’.
Cold water is pumped below the ground.
Hot rocks heat the water, turning it into steam.
The steam is used to generate electricity.
Wind Energy – energy from the wind
Using wind turbines, we can turn the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy which we can use in our homes. This is ‘wind energy’.

2. Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Doesn’t damage the environment
Very few places in the world where you can do this
Costs a lot of money to drill deep into the ground
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Need lots of machines to get a reasonable amount of energy
The machines costs a lot of money
The machines can look ugly
The machines can be damaged by storms

3. Tidal Energy – energy from sea tides
Wave Energy – energy from sea waves
The sea’s waves have kinetic energy. Using machines that bob up and down in the waves, this energy can be turned into electrical energy which we can use in our homes.
Tidal Energy – energy from sea tides
If you’ve ever been to the coast, you may have noticed that the sea level goes up and down, because of tides. When the tide is high, the water has lots of gravitational potential energy, which we can turn into electrical energy to use in our homes.
At high tide, we trap the water behind a dam.
At low tide, the water is released, and its energy is used to generate electricity.

4. Solar Energy – energy from the Sun
Hydroelectric Energy – energy from rivers
The water flowing in a river has kinetic energy. We can turn this into electrical energy to use in our homes. We usually need to build a dam, and let the water flow through it gradually.
Solar Energy – energy from the Sun
The Earth gets heat and light energy from the sun all the time. Can we use it – yes we can! The Sun’s energy can either be:
changed into electrical energy to use in homes, using solar cells;
or used to heat water for homes, using solar panels.

5. Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
We can store the water up high, and then whenever we need the energy we can let the water out
Costs a lot of money to build a dam
The dam can ruin the local environment, because it changes where the water naturally flows. Some animals and plants may die.
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Reliable, because there are always two tides every day
Cheap to run, once it’s built
Costs a lot to build the dam
The dam may cause local flooding
Very few suitable locations

6. No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Solar cells and solar panels are expensive
Only works if it’s sunny! (it is UNRELIABLE)
Renewable
No pollution, because nothing gets burned
Turbines are quite cheap and easy to build, so they can be used even in poor countries
Turbines can be ugly and noisy
Only works if it’s quite windy! If the wind stops, you get no energy (it is UNRELIABLE)

7. Biomass Energy – energy from plants
The chemical potential energy stored in things that were once alive (e.g. trees) can be turned into heat energy by burning them. We can then turn the heat energy into electrical energy in biomass power stations.
Trees absorb the sun’s energy. The trees change this energy into chemical energy, which they store inside themselves.
When we burn wood, we turn this energy into heat, which is useful for cooking and heating.

8. Renewable – as long as we keep planting trees to replace the ones we cut down
Doesn’t need any special equipment, so it can be used very easily, even in poor countries
Doesn’t add to the greenhouse effect (carbon neutral)
Large areas of land are needed to grow enough trees
Uranium is very cheap
Does not produce CO2 or SO2 so doesn’t add to the greenhouse effect or cause acid rain.
Very Reliable
Produces small amounts of waste
Nuclear Power is non-renewable
Long start-up time
Nuclear waste must be buried deep underground because it is dangerous to living things.
If something does go wrong, a nuclear accident can be a major disaster
Requires large amounts of water for cooling

9. Coal, Oil, Gas– energy from fossilised plants
Nuclear Energy– energy from uranium
The splitting of a radioactive atom (Uranium) into two smaller atoms produces a LOT of Energy. This nuclear energy can be easily turned into heat energy in water. The water then turns to steam which can generate electrical energy by a turbine.
Coal, Oil, Gas– energy from fossilised plants
The chemical potential energy stored in things that were once alive (e.g. trees) can be turned into heat energy by burning them. We can also turn it into electrical energy in Coal, Oil, or Natural Gas power stations.
Trees absorb the sun’s energy. The trees change this energy into chemical energy, which they store inside themselves.
Over thousands of years, heat and pressure underground can turn buried plants and animals into coal, oil, or natural gas.

10. Cheap source of energy
Low start-up time
Very reliable
Non-Renewable.
Produces CO2 which adds to the greenhouse effect.
Produces SO2 which causes acid rain.