Year 9 Science · Unit 3 · Lesson 12
Foundation Worksheet
Learning Goals
Match each renewable source to its energy transformation
Write the letter of the matching transformation in the middle column. Each letter is used once.
| Renewable source | Letter | Energy transformation |
|---|---|---|
| Solar PV (photovoltaic) panel | A. Gravitational potential energy of stored water → kinetic energy → electrical energy | |
| Wind turbine | B. Thermal energy of hot rocks → kinetic energy of steam and turbine → electrical energy | |
| Hydroelectric power station | C. Light energy → electrical energy | |
| Solar thermal power station | D. Kinetic energy of the wind → kinetic energy of the blades → electrical energy | |
| Bioenergy power station | E. Light energy → thermal energy → kinetic energy → electrical energy | |
| Geothermal power station | F. Chemical energy in plant material → thermal energy → kinetic energy → electrical energy |
1. What makes an energy source renewable? Name one renewable source and explain why it will not run out.
Fill the gap
Choose the correct word from the word bank. Each word is used once. Two words will not be used.
Australia is rapidly expanding its energy sector. The country receives more radiation per square metre than any other continent, which makes cells, which change light directly into electricity, a good choice for homes and farms. Large farms in Victoria and South Australia use the kinetic energy of moving air. One challenge with solar and wind is that they are : they do not always produce electricity when people need it. The Snowy Mountains scheme can be switched on quickly when extra electricity is needed. A major advantage of all renewable sources is their very low carbon compared with burning fossil fuels.
2. Rooftop solar panels produce no electricity at 9 pm. Explain why, using the word “intermittent”, and name one way a household can still use its own solar energy at night.
Data: renewable electricity in Australia in 2023
In 2023, Australia generated 236.3 TWh (terawatt-hours) of electricity from all sources. Table 1 shows how much came from each renewable source.
| Renewable source | Electricity generated (TWh) |
|---|---|
| Wind | 31.6 |
| Rooftop solar | 26.6 |
| Medium- and large-scale solar farms | 16.5 |
| Hydro | 15.3 |
| Bioenergy | 3.2 |
Source: Clean Energy Council, Clean Energy Australia Report 2024, table “Australia’s electricity generation mix in 2023” (values rounded to 0.1 TWh).
3. (a) Calculate the total electricity generated by renewable sources in 2023. (b) Calculate the percentage of Australia’s electricity that came from renewable sources. Round to one decimal place. (c) What percentage came from non-renewable sources?
(a) Renewable total TWh
(b) Renewable share %
(c) Coal, gas and other fuels %
4. A student says: “Wind is the biggest row in Table 1, so wind made more electricity than solar in 2023.” Test this claim, and explain what the student missed.
All solar TWh
Scenario: a town on the Pilbara coast
A small town on the coast of Western Australia’s Pilbara region runs on diesel generators. It has sunshine on almost every day of the year and a strong sea breeze most afternoons and evenings. The land is flat and dry, with no rivers.
5. Recommend TWO renewable sources for the town and reject ONE. Describe the energy transformation of each source you recommend and why it suits the town, say why you reject the other, and how the lights stay on when your sources are not working.