Renewable Energy Technologies Flashcards
7 cards from real CEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Renewable Energy Technologies flashcards as text
What is 'agrivoltaics'?
Answer: Co-locating solar panels and agricultural crops on the same land
Agrivoltaics combines solar energy generation with crop production or grazing on the same land, optimizing dual use of agricultural land.
Which wind turbine configuration places the rotor downwind of the tower?
Answer: Downwind turbine
Downwind turbines have their rotor positioned on the leeward side of the tower, allowing passive yaw alignment with wind direction.
What is 'levelized cost of storage' (LCOS) used to evaluate?
Answer: The all-in cost of storing and dispatching one kilowatt-hour of electricity over a storage system's life
LCOS expresses the total lifecycle cost of a storage system—capital, O&M, charging energy—divided by total energy discharged, enabling comparison across technologies.
In solar resource assessment, what does 'direct normal irradiance' (DNI) specifically measure?
Answer: Solar radiation received per unit area on a surface perpendicular to the sun's rays
DNI measures the intensity of solar radiation arriving on a surface held perpendicular to the direct beam from the sun, excluding diffuse radiation.
What is the primary environmental concern associated with large-scale lithium mining for battery storage used in renewable energy systems?
Answer: High water consumption and habitat disruption in arid mining regions
Lithium brine extraction in arid regions like the Atacama Desert consumes large amounts of water and can disrupt local ecosystems and indigenous water rights.
What is a 'renewable energy certificate' (REC) and what does it represent?
Answer: A tradable instrument representing the environmental attributes of one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity
A REC (or SREC for solar) represents proof that one MWh of electricity was generated from a renewable source and carries the associated environmental attributes.
Which characteristic makes hydrogen produced via electrolysis using renewable electricity considered 'green hydrogen'?
Answer: It emits no carbon dioxide during production because renewable power drives the electrolyzer
Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water via electrolysis powered entirely by renewable electricity, resulting in zero CO2 emissions during production.