The City School
Subject: Science
class: 8
Work Sheet
Worksheet A – Renewable Energy Basics
Complete the chart below about the basic types of renewable energy resources.
Type Definition Examples Advantages Disadvantages
Solar
Hydropower
Wind Energy
Geothermal
Biomass
1. List those energy sources that are fossil fuels.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. What main advantage do fossil fuels have over the renewable energy resources?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. What are two main disadvantages of fossil fuels compared to renewable energy?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Worksheet B – Graphing Energy Facts
Part I: The table below lists United States primary energy consumption by
source in 1973 and 1991.
Primary Energy Consumption (percent)
1973 1991
Petroleum 46.9 40.4
Nuclear Power 1.2 8
Hydropower/Other Renewable 4.1 4
Natural Gas 30.3 24.4
Coal 17.5 23.2
1. Draw two pie graphs showing this data. Use different colors to identify each
energy source and neatly label your graphs. Then answer the questions that
follow.
2. What is a primary energy source? Explain how it differs from a secondary source.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Which source decreased the most from 1973 to 1991? Why do you think this
happened?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. Which source increased the most from 1973 to 1991? Why do you think this
happened?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Sunlight, wind, and running water are essentially "free". Yet renewable energy sources
are a very small part of our energy consumption. Why is this? Explain.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
PART B: The data below shows the amount of electricity generated in the
United States in 1990 by various renewable energy sources.
1990 United States Renewable Electric Generating Capacity (Gigawatts)
Gigawatts Percent of Total
Hydropower 75.1
Geothermal 2.6
Biomass (Municipal Waste) 2
Biomass (other) 6
Solar Thermal 0.4
Wind 1.4
TOTAL RENEWABLE 87.4
1. Compute the percent of the total that each resource provides and put the percent in the
blanks. Then make a pie graph of the percent data. Use different colors and neatly label
the graph.
2. Which renewable source is used the most for producing electricity? Why?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Which renewable energy source above is used the least? Why?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Which renewable source do you think should be used the most? Why?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________