Question 1 The power station of Tuoketuo in North China region is (in 2021) one of the largest coal-fired power plant in the world. It have a nominal power of 6720MW and generates, on average, an annual amount of 2790kToe (1k = 103) of electricity. All of the generated power is deliver to Beijing via a 500 kV transmission line. What is the approximate value of the capacity factor (i.e. load factor) for this power unit ? 1 point 25% 30% 35% 45% 55% 60% >65% 2. Question 2 This moderate value of the capacity factor (i.e. the power plant does not operate year-round at full capacity) is mainly due to: 1 point fluctuations in the electricity price the efficiency of coal-fire units variations in electricity demand in the Beijing area the coal supply turbine maintenance 3. Question 3 Assuming an mean annual capacity factor of 20%, how many onshore wind turbines of 3.5MW will be needed to produce every year the same amount of energy as the large coal power plant of Tuoketuo (5% error is acceptable). 1 point 1920 2240 2950 3810 5270 6720 4. Question 4 What is the primary driver of the atmospheric circulation (planetary-scale winds)? 1 point The difference in net solar heating at the equator and the poles Ocean currents The geological heating from the Earth’s crust 5. Question 5 How does the Hadley cell influence the planetary distribution of incoming irradiance? 1 point Its descending branch (downward wind) is a primary factor explaining the large-scale band of clouds and precipitation near the equator It does not Its descending branch (downward wind) is a primary factor explaining the relative dryness of the surface climate at the tropics It is responsible for regional winds such as the Mistral which are associated with sunny weather 6. Question 6 What makes the tropical atmospheric variability different than the mid-latitude circulation ? 1 point Solar irradiance is larger on average. The absence of interannual variability. The weaker role of the Coriolis force. The spatial distribution of the variability is more homogeneous in the tropical belt. 7. Question 7 What damages can tropical cyclones cause ? 1 point Buildings, infrastructures and networks Land slides and floods Damages on the coastline and coastal systems 8. Question 8 Conditions in which liquid and vapor water phases are in equilibrium (saturation) are described by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation and depend on… 1 point the wind speed the temperature the quantity of water (relative humidity) 9. Question 9 The most common cause of cloud formation in the atmosphere is: 1 point a subsidence of moist air parcels an uplift of moist air parcels a warming of the air at altitude, at the level of the clouds answer these questions