For  Double Science GCSE, you'll need to know:-

the names of the energy sources in these pages
how each one works
the advantages & disadvantages of each
which ones are renewable

Most of the Earth's energy comes from the Sun.
Solar power, that's obvious, but the energy in coal originally came from the Sun too. Prehistoric plants stored the Sun's energy in their leaves, and when they died and eventually formed coal seams, that energy was still there. So when we burn coal (or any fossil fuel), we're releasing chemical energy that was stored in plants millions of years ago.

The same goes for Wind and Wave power. Waves occur because of winds, and winds blow because the Sun warms our atmosphere. Warm air tends to rise, and winds are due to other air moving in to replace it.

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Most power stations burn coal, oil or natural gas to run the generators. Others use uranium, or the flow of water. Electricity is sent around the country using high-voltage power lines. Nearly all of the power we use comes from large power stations, although some places such as isolated farms, or hospitals, have their own diesel generators.

 

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These pages created by Andy Darvill,
Physics teacher at Broadoak Community School, Weston-super-Mare.
More free teaching resources can be downloaded from my web site
at http://www.darvill.clara.net/ajdhome.htm