Criteria for evaluating test item responses

Answers should be based on the energy chart below. Any of the resources may be recommended if an appropriate argument is made for its use and at least one drawback is also given. The resource must also be properly identified as renewable or non-renewable, with an explanation that shows the student understands the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources as defined in the lesson.

Energy Source	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages
Coal	Black rock-like solid fossil fuel found underground. Burned or gasified to produce electricity.	Technology to convert coal to electricity is well developed and inexpensive U.S. sources of coal are available	Nonrenewable Pollutes air when burned (acid rain/smog) Can damage land when extracted
Oil	Thick, brown liquid fossil fuel found under land and water. Must be drilled and pumped out. Burned or gasified to produce electricity.	Technology to convert oil to electricity is well developed and inexpensive	Nonrenewable Pollutes air when burned (acid rain/smog) Can damage land when extracted
Natural Gas	Invisible, odorless gas (fossil fuel) found underground. Burned or gasified to produce heat and electricity.	Cleanest fossil fuel U.S. has a fairly large supply	Price of fuel can be volatile Extraction can damage land Nonrenewable
Nuclear Fission	Atoms that form Uranium are split apart and release heat energy which produce steam for electric turbines.	Uranium is inexpensive and abundantly available	Waste materials are radioactive and must be stored carefully for thousands of years Nonrenewable
Waste-to-Energy	Includes landfill methane and burning or gasifying trash to produce electricity.	Saves space in landfills Relatively inexpensive May involve high levels of recycling if gasified Relatively cheap	Releases toxic gases May not encourage paper recycling It takes time for landfills to decay and release gas Still emits greenhouse gas
Biogas from Crops	Farmers can use crop waste or entire crops that can be gasified or burned as fuel.	Somewhat inexpensive Fairly clean Renewable	Still emits greenhouse gas Fairly new technology
Hydropower	Running water turns a turbine and produces electricy.	No fuel costs Renewable No pollution	Can impact aquatic life Doesn't work well on flat surfaces
Wind Power	Wind turns a turbine and produces electricity.	No fuel costs Renewable No pollution	Requires wind speeds >14 mph to be cost effective
Solar Electricity (Photovoltaics - PV)	Sun shines on solar cells (semiconductor material) and produces electric current.	No fuel costs Renewable No pollution Can be installed on buildings	PV equipment is expensive Only heats when sun is shining
Solar Thermal	Sun's heat is collected to heat domestic or pool water or create steam for electricity using concentrators.	No fuel costs Renewable Domestic heaters can be used on homes	Initial cost of domestic solar systems is moderately high Only heats when sun is shining

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