Alternative Energy Sources Reading Answers

The Reading part of the IELTS will be crucial to your success on the IELTS. The Reading section takes a look at your ability to read course materials, skim reading for general ideas, scanning for specific information and assessing the writer's opinion and logic.

If you are choosing to self-study to improve your experience of the Reading part of the IELTS we would recommend using IELTS reading passages to practice. 

This is a long IELTS Reading practice passage created "Alternative Energy Sources," with reading answers, along with some suggested questions and answer explanations to help you prepare for the IELTS exam.

Alternative Energy Sources IELTS Reading Passage

Paragraph A

There are many reasons that alternative energy sources are being sought after. Many nations signed the Kyoto Protocol and so reducing pollutants and greenhouse gases has become a priority in today's culture. Alternative, or renewable energy sources have great potential to reduce the amount of pollutants and previously mentioned undesirable elements created by our energy use. Alternative energy helps keep away unwanted by-products, while still preserving many of the natural resources we currently use, as sources of energy. It is not only wise, but imperative to know what kinds of alternative energy sources are available in order to understand how it can both keep the planet's delicate ecological balance, but also preserve non-renewable energy assets like fossil-fuels.

Paragraph B

Alternative forms of energy come from resources that are replenished over time, and do not pollute. They are not produced from combustion of fossil fuels or dislocation of atoms. Using renewable energy provides a means of supplementing our energy source. Some forms of alternative energy include biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind, fuel cell, ocean thermal energy conversion, tidal energy and wave energy.

Paragraph C 

Biomass is a variety of renewable energy from organic materials, including wood, forest and mill residues, animal waste, grains, agricultural crops and aquatic plants. Biomass fuels may be combusted directly to produce steam for heating water or processed to liquids and gases that may be combusted for the same essence. By 2020, the United States may have been able to produce up to 4.5 times more biopower with more biomass use, lower costs of production and better technology. Biomass is expected to grow the fastest of the renewable energy sources at 80% percent to 65.7 billion KW by 2020. 

 Paragraph D 

Geothermal energy is heat energy (thermal energy) that is derived from inside the earth. Wells are drilled into the geothermal reservoirs of hot steam and hot water, and the hot steam or water is brought to the surface. In geothermal systems, the steam is used to spin a turbine-generator to generate energy. In some parts of the world geothermal energy may be used for heating homes and greenhouses, and providing processed heat for commercial businesses and industry. The city of Reykjavik, Iceland, uses geothermal energy for heating. The majority of geothermal resources are found in the western United States. Geothermal heat pumps draw on shallow earth energy to heat and cool residences, and they may be implemented almost anywhere. Hydrothermal resources could generate so much more energy with technological improvements. Scientists have started to put together geothermal energy power plants by injecting water into hot, dry rock 3 to 6 miles under the surface of the Earth. 

Paragraph E

Water-generated energy is created by driving turbine-generators with the force of falling water. This energy source produces more electricity than any other renewable energy source. Estimates reveal that water-generated energy in the U.S. will slip from 389 billion KW in 1999 down to 298 billion KW in 2020. The existing inventory of best water-generated energy development sites has declined significantly; because of negative environmental externalities for large-scale alternatives, this trend is expected to decline further. 

Paragraph F

Solar energy is produced without the use of a turbine or electromagnet. Photovoltaic cells on specially-designed panels capture sunlight and directly turn it into electricity. Batteries can be used to store electricity. Solar energy may also be used to heat hot water that can be used in the home (solar thermal technology). The domestic photovoltaic (PV) sector may supply as much as 15% of the new peak electricity capacity growth coming for renewables in the US by 2020.

Paragraph G

Electricity can be generated by wind energy . The wind blows on the blades of a windmill, which causes it to spin. The shaft on which the blades are mounted spins and will either power up a pump or turn a generator that makes electricity. Afterwards, the electricity can be stored in batteries. The total amount of energy that can be created is determined by the speed of the wind and by the size of the blades. Increased wind gusts mean more efficiency in terms of the amount of wind that is harnessed for energy. Wind energy is produced in wind farms where turbines are positioned closely together in places that are positioned in areas that have reliable wind patterns. Wind as an energy source is free, clean, and non-polluting.  There are no emissions or chemical by-product waste. The use of wind energy as a source of electricity is becoming widely accepted.

Paragraph H

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that generate electricity using a chemical reaction. Fuel cells are rechargeable, have no moving parts, and are silent without moving parts. Scientists have begun to see if fuel cells could be used to power almost emission free cars and as electricity generating plants. Despite this important energy supply, fuel cells are still not widely adopted technologies because of their extremely high costs over their life cycle.

Paragraph I 

From ocean sources; The oceans are more than 70% of the earth's surface and hold a substantial amount of thermal and mechanical energy, from solar heat, tides and waves. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) converts solar radiation into electricity. OTEC plants use the temperature difference in warm surface waters heated by the sun and colder waters variously located down to the ocean depths to generate electricity. It is also possible to use the energy of tides to produce electricity. Tidal energy uses the inherent force of changing tides but requires considerable differences in the high tide conditions. The tidal process uses the natural movement of the tides to fill reservoirs, which then are gradually emptied through electricity-generating turbines. A wave energy converter utilizes energy from surface waves, variations in pressure below the surface of the water, or from the entire wave. It is also possible to utilize energy from waves resulting from wind energy interacting with the ocean surface. The use of wave energy technology in the U.S. is still in the early development stages.

Alternative Energy Sources reading answers : Question 1-2

Choose the correct letter from A, B, C or D.

Q1.  Geothermal Energy is produced by:

• Warming the air beneath the ground surface
• Utilising the kinetic energy of falling water
• The extraction of water steam from the earth’s subsurface.
• Utilising the earth’s inherent energy.

Q2. The most significant barrier of creating one of these energy sources is

Expense:

• Amount of energy dissipated
• Electricity
• Fuel cell energy

(Refer to the end for answers along with their explanations)

Alternative Energy Sources Reading Answers :Question 3-7

Do the following statements which are given below agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

You have to write:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

Q3. Alternative Energy sources have multiple applications.

Q4. At least one of these alternative energy sources needs fossil fuels.

Q5. The disbursement is the minor factor that is an obstacle to developing one of these forms of energy.

Q6. Alternative energy with the highest efficiency is Wind Power.

Q7. There are numerous sources to generate Wave Energy.

(Refer to the end for answers along with their explanations)

Alternative Energy Sources Reading Answers :Question 8-13

Complete the following sentences. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/ OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Q8. By utilising Alternative energy sources, we can reduce the __________ 

generated by conventional energy sources.

Q9. We currently use __________ as part of our power source, in addition to fossil fuels and atom-splitting.

Q10. Biomass is a type of renewable energy that comes from __________.

Q11. The renewable energy that originates from the earth's interior is known as __________.

Q12. The __________ of manufacturing is one of the reasons why fuel cells aren't extensively used.

Q13.  __________ alternative energy source does not utilise turbines.

(Refer to the end for answers along with their explanations)

Designated Answers with Explanations

Answer to Q1. C 

Explanation: The first sentence of section D indicates that "Geothermal energy captures the heat beneath the earth's surface. To access the hot water or steam, wells are drilled into the geothermal reservoir."

Answer to Q2. A

Explanation: The 5th sentence of section H states, "The expense associated with fuel cell development is highly restricting the use of this important energy source."

Answer to Q3. True

Explanation: In section A, the second sentence says,"...making the reduction of pollutants and greenhouse gases a priority in our current culture. Alternative or renewable energy sources offer promising pathways for reducing the quantity of pollutants created by energy use. Alternative energy reduces unwanted by-products of energy consumption and preserves many of the natural resources we currently use to source energy."

Answer to Q4. False

Explanation: In the first sentence of section C says that "Biomass is a renewable energy source that comes from organic material. Examples of biomass fuels include wood, debris left over from mills and forests, livestock wastes, grain, crops, and aquatic plants. These organic products, then, can be burned as fuels to heat water to be turned into steam, or they are converted to liquids and gases to be burned to produce the same effect.

Answer to Q5. False

Explanation: The fifth line of paragraph H states, "The high cost of producing fuel cells has prevented the new, clean energy from being used in a wide commercial market". 

Answer to Q6. Not Given

Explanation: The eighth line of paragraph G states, "Wind is a free and non-polluting source of energy with no chemical emissions or waste. The electrical production of energy via wind is being utilized more and more as a source of energy". 

Answer to Q7. True

Explanation: The tenth line of paragraph I states, "Wave energy conversion takes energy from the surface waves, the pressure differences below the surface of the water or from the wave itself. Wind can treat the ocean surface as well as providing energy from waves. This technology is still fairly new in the United States". 

Answer to Q8. Amount of pollutants

Explanation: The third line of paragraph A states, "Alternative, or renewable, sources of energy have potential for reducing the amount of pollutants generated from energy use".

Answer to Q9. Renewable Energy

Explanation: The first line of paragraph B states, “Utilisation of renewable energy helps to enhance our energy supply. We have many alternative energy sources dealing with renewable energy. These include biomass energy, geothermal energy, hydroelectric energy, solar energy, wind energy, fuel cells, ocean thermal energy conversion, tidal energy, and wave energy.

Answer to Q10. Organic Matter

Explanation: The first line of paragraph C states, “Biomass is a kind of renewable energy that is produced from organic matter. Examples of biomass fuels are wood, leftovers from the forest and mills, animal manure, cereals, agricultural crops and aquatic plants.

Answer to Q11. Geothermal Energy

Explanation: The first line of paragraph D states, “Geothermal energy draws heat from the earth's interior. Wells are drilled into geothermal reservoirs to bring hot water and steam to the surface. In geothermal plants, steam moves a turbine-generator that produces energy.

Answer to Q12. Cost

Explanation: The fifth line of paragraph H states, “The significant cost of producing fuel cells has limited this valuable form of energy from attaining a greater use”.

Answer to Q13. Fuel Cell Energy

Explanation: The first line of paragraph H states, “Fuel cells are electro-chemical devices that produce energy through a chemical reaction. Fuel cells are rechargeable, have no mechanically moving parts, are silent and have no moving parts.

Conclusion

Learning about the nature and uses of alternative energy sources reading answers will add to your knowledge while also improving your skills for the IELTS Reading component. As with the actual test, this passage is designed to imitate the actual testing format so you are able to practice your skimming, scanning, and analytic reading skills. 

Each question has detailed explanations for each option mainly to help clarify difficult ideas and to properly prepare you for your IELTS Reading. We recommend you do practice passages such as this regularly, as they help boost your IELTS band score and reading comprehension.

Want to practice more? Check Out: The History of the Tortoise Reading Answers