NPC MONITORED FINAL EXAM 2025 WITH QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED ANSWERS GUARANTEED A+
First day, I discussed how we need energy in three forms. What are those
three forms and what are examples of fuels, or sources for these?
VERIFIED ANSWER- Electricity: fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, solar,
hydroelectric, (geothermal?)
- Transportation: gas, diesel, LNG, electric (?)
- Heating and Local Power: NG, coal, fuel oil
Know what fraction of our energy we use ends up as waste heat.
VERIFIED ANSWER59.1 quads/97.5 (or about 60%)
About how many Quads does the US use in a year? VERIFIED
ANSWERAbout 97.5 quads.
What are the four areas we use energy? VERIFIED
ANSWERResidential, Commercial, Industrial, and Transportation
What fraction of our energy is utilized for (to generate) electricity?
VERIFIED ANSWER38 quads needed to generate our electricity. That's
about 39% of those 97.5 quads. (but after subtracting waste heat, 12.6
quads of electricity is actually produced, for our use)
What fraction of our energy is imported? VERIFIED ANSWER20%
,What is the connection between energy usage and economic output?
VERIFIED ANSWERThere is a positive correlation between wealth and
energy; energy creates wealth but wealth also leads to energy use (it
goes both ways); The wealthy use the most energy; The US has the
highest energy usage and the highest GDP per capita; Increased energy
efficiency leads to more energy consumption. Our tendency is to
consume.
How is our energy usage is pretty much "hand to mouth"? VERIFIED
ANSWEREnergy typically gets used as soon as it comes, since it's hard
to store (except for coal).
What fraction of our energy usage is fossil fuels? VERIFIED
ANSWERabout 80%
What are the issues with burning coal? Both from the standpoint of what
goes in the air and what is left behind? VERIFIED ANSWERTakes a
long time to produce energy; Burning coal releases carbon dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter (PM), mercury, and
dozens of other substances known to be hazardous to human health into
the air; Then we're left with the coal ash, which has contaminants in it
like cadmium, selenium, lead, and chromium.
Petroleum usage requires refineries (their consequences) and the
emissions from burning gasoline, diesel. VERIFIED ANSWERBurning
, gasoline, diesel Jet A releases carbon dioxide also nitrogen oxides, sulfur
dioxide, particulate matter
Trade imbalance concerns with imports of petroleum
Why it is so hard to get off fossil fuels, due to energy density and
infrastructure. Be able to explain these. VERIFIED ANSWEREnergy
density: fossil fuels are much more energy dense than renewable
sources, like natural gas, and heavy transportation vehicles run on
energy-dense fuels.
Infrastructure...
Initially it will be very expensive
Technology still being developed for solar, wind etc.
Powerful Coal and Oil lobbies
When oil is spilled, it shows up as VOC (volatile organic compounds)
and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) What do these do?
Problems with coal ash. VERIFIED ANSWER- Oil spills: Contaminates
the environment (ex. Oil spills in the ocean → kills fish, penguins,
wildlife)
- VOCs can be toxic when inhaled (in this case, by air-breathing
mammals at sea/on shore)
- PAHs have toxic, mutagenic (disrupting DNA), and/or carcinogenic
properties, and can persist in the environment for years.
- Coal Ash: 130 million tons of coal ash produced in 2014.
VERIFIED ANSWERS GUARANTEED A+
First day, I discussed how we need energy in three forms. What are those
three forms and what are examples of fuels, or sources for these?
VERIFIED ANSWER- Electricity: fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, solar,
hydroelectric, (geothermal?)
- Transportation: gas, diesel, LNG, electric (?)
- Heating and Local Power: NG, coal, fuel oil
Know what fraction of our energy we use ends up as waste heat.
VERIFIED ANSWER59.1 quads/97.5 (or about 60%)
About how many Quads does the US use in a year? VERIFIED
ANSWERAbout 97.5 quads.
What are the four areas we use energy? VERIFIED
ANSWERResidential, Commercial, Industrial, and Transportation
What fraction of our energy is utilized for (to generate) electricity?
VERIFIED ANSWER38 quads needed to generate our electricity. That's
about 39% of those 97.5 quads. (but after subtracting waste heat, 12.6
quads of electricity is actually produced, for our use)
What fraction of our energy is imported? VERIFIED ANSWER20%
,What is the connection between energy usage and economic output?
VERIFIED ANSWERThere is a positive correlation between wealth and
energy; energy creates wealth but wealth also leads to energy use (it
goes both ways); The wealthy use the most energy; The US has the
highest energy usage and the highest GDP per capita; Increased energy
efficiency leads to more energy consumption. Our tendency is to
consume.
How is our energy usage is pretty much "hand to mouth"? VERIFIED
ANSWEREnergy typically gets used as soon as it comes, since it's hard
to store (except for coal).
What fraction of our energy usage is fossil fuels? VERIFIED
ANSWERabout 80%
What are the issues with burning coal? Both from the standpoint of what
goes in the air and what is left behind? VERIFIED ANSWERTakes a
long time to produce energy; Burning coal releases carbon dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter (PM), mercury, and
dozens of other substances known to be hazardous to human health into
the air; Then we're left with the coal ash, which has contaminants in it
like cadmium, selenium, lead, and chromium.
Petroleum usage requires refineries (their consequences) and the
emissions from burning gasoline, diesel. VERIFIED ANSWERBurning
, gasoline, diesel Jet A releases carbon dioxide also nitrogen oxides, sulfur
dioxide, particulate matter
Trade imbalance concerns with imports of petroleum
Why it is so hard to get off fossil fuels, due to energy density and
infrastructure. Be able to explain these. VERIFIED ANSWEREnergy
density: fossil fuels are much more energy dense than renewable
sources, like natural gas, and heavy transportation vehicles run on
energy-dense fuels.
Infrastructure...
Initially it will be very expensive
Technology still being developed for solar, wind etc.
Powerful Coal and Oil lobbies
When oil is spilled, it shows up as VOC (volatile organic compounds)
and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) What do these do?
Problems with coal ash. VERIFIED ANSWER- Oil spills: Contaminates
the environment (ex. Oil spills in the ocean → kills fish, penguins,
wildlife)
- VOCs can be toxic when inhaled (in this case, by air-breathing
mammals at sea/on shore)
- PAHs have toxic, mutagenic (disrupting DNA), and/or carcinogenic
properties, and can persist in the environment for years.
- Coal Ash: 130 million tons of coal ash produced in 2014.
