Energy Resources and Transfers
Energy stores are like different ways energy can be "kept" - think kinetic energy in moving objects, gravitational potential energy in anything up high, and chemical energy in food or fuel. When you kick a football, chemical energy from your muscles transfers to kinetic energy in the ball.
Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro-electricity won't run out, but they can be unreliable and expensive to set up initially. Wind turbines only work when it's windy, and solar panels need sunlight. However, they produce no pollution once they're running.
Non-renewable sources like coal, oil, and gas provide about 80% of our energy because they're reliable and cost-effective. The problem? They're slowly running out and add to greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Nuclear energy is incredibly powerful but can be dangerous to handle and dispose of.
Quick tip: Remember that energy can never be created or destroyed - it just transfers from one store to another. This is the conservation of energy.
The specific heat capacity tells you how much energy you need to heat 1kg of a substance by 1°C. Materials with high specific heat capacity (like water) take loads of energy to heat up, which is why the sea stays cool in summer.
