Fossil fuels and nuclear energy

• What are fossil fuels?

  A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals.

  
• What are the three main types of fossil fuels?

  Coal, crude oil and natural gas

  
• What can the heat from fuel be used for?


  1)Burned to provide heat for direct use (e.g. cooking).

  2)To power engines (e.g. the internal combustion engines in cars).

  3)To generate electricity.
• What are the pros of fossil fuels?

  Pros:

  1)Relatively cheap

  2) Can be used in any conditions (e.g. don't require wind or sunshine to work)

  3)Much of our current infrastructure is designed to run using fossil fuels (e.g. most of our cars use petrol or diesel which are both made from crude oil)
• What are the cons of fossil fuels?

  1)They're a limited resource so will run out one day

  2)They produce carbon dioxide when burned, which is a greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming

  3)They sometimes produce toxic gases when burned - such as sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide
• What is nuclear energy?


  Nuclear energy is energy obtained via nuclear reactions, such as nuclear fission reactions in nuclear power stations.

  
• What can nuclear energy be used for?


  This energy can be used to generate electricity, which can then be transmitted to homes and factories across the country. 
• What are the pros of nuclear energy?

  1)Nuclear fuels do not produce any pollutants like sulfur dioxide, or greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide

  2)Can be used in any conditions (e.g. nuclear power doesn't depend on environmental forces like sunshine or wind)

  3)Although nuclear fuel (like uranium) is a limited resource, it is very unlikely to run out for a very long time 
• What are the cons of nuclear energy?

  1)Nuclear fuels (like uranium) are technically a finite resource (although nuclear power stations only use very tiny amounts so it won't run out any time soon)

  2)Nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste, which remains harmful for thousands of years and so must be stored very carefully

  3)It is quite expensive