Energy and resources BP

Why are fossil fuels more widely used than solar energy?

• Solar energy is harder to find.

• Fossil fuels are much cheaper.

• Fossil fuels are more abundant.

• The sun's energy can never be harnessed.

Why is solar energy considered a renewable energy source?

• You can get money back from the government if you put solar panels on your house.

• Solar energy is cheaper than fossil fuels.

• The sun's energy will not run out for billions of years.

• Solar energy can be used to recharge batteries.

What device might you use to heat a building?

• A thermal collector

• A photovoltaic cell

• A solar sail

• A photon

Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into:

• Heat

• Motion

• Light

• Electricity

In the term "photovoltaic cell," what can you infer about the prefix "photo-?"

• It refers to light

• It refers to heat

• It refers to electricity

• It refers to motion

Which of the following is a true statement about semiconductors?

• Electricity can pass through them easily

• Electricity can pass through them with some effort

• Electricity cannot pass through them at all

• Solar energy can pass through them, but electric current cannot

Which of the following terms best describes an electrical current?

• A flow of protons

• A flow of atoms

• A flow of electrons

• A flow of neutrons

How much of the sun's energy can be converted to electricity by a photovoltaic cell?

• One to two percent

• 15 to 20 percent

• 25 to 30 percent

• 50 to 55 percent

Which of the following terms best describes photovoltaic cells as they currently exist?

• Inexpensive

• Primitive

• Backward

• Inefficient

Which of the following cities would most likely make use of concentrating solar power plants?

• London, UK

• Seattle, Washington

• New York, New York

• Phoenix, Arizona