Analyze energy usage, efficiency, and generation. Explore the pathways of energy transfer, the conservation of energy, and the various resources available for electricity generation, including their environmental impacts.
• Identify energy stores (chemical, nuclear, kinetic, gravitational, elastic, thermal, electrostatic, electromagnetic). • Explain electricity as a method of transferring energy for work and heating. • Describe energy dissipation into the surroundings as wasted energy. • Define power as the rate of energy transfer. • Use Sankey diagrams to visualise energy transfers and calculate efficiency.
• Identify major energy resources: fossil fuels, nuclear, biofuels, wind, hydroelectric, tides, and solar. • Describe the general process of electricity generation using turbines and generators. • Describe the National Grid system, including the use of transformers for efficient transmission. • Identify the components of mains electricity (live, neutral, earth) and their safety functions. • Evaluate the sustainability, availability, and environmental impact of different energy sources.
