# A coal-fired power station and a solar farm are both used to generate electricity. Compare the energy resources used by each, referring to whether each resource is renewable or non-renewable, and explain one environmental disadvantage of using coal as an energy resource.

> WJEC GCSE Physics (Wales) — 1.2 Generating electricity · Compare · 4 marks

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Coal is a non-renewable energy resource (it cannot be replenished whilst it is being used / it is a finite resource)
2. Solar energy / sunlight is a renewable energy resource (it can be replenished whilst it is being used)
3. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide (or other named pollutants such as sulfur dioxide) into the atmosphere
4. This contributes to global warming / climate change / acid rain (linked to the named gas from the previous point)

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