Societies depend on energy. This lesson classifies energy resources as renewable or non-renewable, and works through efficiency, energy and capacity factor calculations.
You will do three real calculations. Answer the questions and collect ⭐.
Each has trade-offs in cost, reliability and environmental impact.
No energy conversion is perfect. Efficiency compares useful output with total input:
efficiency (%) = (useful energy output ÷ total energy input) × 100
Thermal power stations typically waste much of their input as heat.
Electrical energy is found from E = P × t. If power is in kilowatts (kW) and time in hours (h), energy is in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Renewables are often intermittent. The capacity factor compares the energy a generator actually produces with the maximum it could produce if it ran at full rated power all year:
capacity factor = actual output ÷ (rated power × time)
There are 8 760 hours in a (365-day) year.
Nuclear fission splits uranium nuclei to release heat, which raises steam to drive turbines. It produces very low CO₂ during generation and large, reliable output, but creates radioactive waste and carries accident and decommissioning concerns. Uranium is a finite fuel, so nuclear is non-renewable though low-carbon.
Sort each energy resource into the correct group.
Match each term to its meaning.
Resource types: Renewable (solar, wind, hydro, tidal…) vs non-renewable (fossil, nuclear)
Efficiency: (useful ÷ total) × 100
Energy: E = P × t (kWh)
Capacity factor: actual ÷ (rated × time); renewables are often intermittent
Watch your units — MW, MWh and hours — in every calculation. Press Finish.
You've worked through Energy Resources. 🎉
Your stars: 0 / 0
Next: test yourself in the Evaluate stage, then lock it in with Verify.