We’ll be featuring “Green IQ Tests” all this week as a way to mark the climate change negotiations in Denmark. Regardless of the outcome of the conference, the second green revolution is well underway among consumers and businesses. Here are another couple of questions from the Wall Street Journal’s Green IQ Quiz to test your knowledge.
Just how does the U.S. keep the lights on? Match the share of electricity generated this year to the fuel source:
A. Coal
B. Nuclear power
C. Natural gas
D. Hydroelectric
E. Other renewables
1. 3.4%
2. 22%
3. 45%
4. 21%
5. 7.4%
ANSWER: A-3, B-4, C-2, D-5, E-1. Coal is still king, but it’s the one source of power whose share of the electricity mix has fallen this year, to 45% from 49% last year.
Lots of countries rely on large hydroelectric projects, but in richer countries hydro has just about reached the limits of its capacity for one reason or another, shifting the focus to other possible power sources. What country gets the most juice from renewable energy other than hydro?
A. Denmark
B. Portugal
C. Spain
D. New Zealand
E. Iceland
ANSWER: A. Denmark gets 30% of its power from nonhydro renewable sources, mainly wind and biomass—more than Iceland gets from geothermal power, or Portugal and Spain get from their extensive wind farms.
Posted in
Tags: 


