Energy Systems

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GCSE DT RevisionEnergy and Systems in DT

Key facts

Energy sources

Renewable: solar, wind, tidal, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass. Replenished naturally — will not run out.
Non-renewable: coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear. Finite — will eventually run out. Fossil fuels release CO₂ when burned.
Products can be designed to minimise energy use: LEDs (efficient lighting), insulation, sleep/standby modes, efficient motors.
Manufacturing a renewable energy device (solar panel, wind turbine) has its own carbon cost — consider the full lifecycle.

Systems — input, process, output

All engineered systems: Input → Process → Output.
Input: switch, sensor (light, temperature, motion), microphone, keypad, push button.
Process: microcontroller, microprocessor, timer, logic gate, integrated circuit (IC).
Output: LED, motor, buzzer, speaker, display screen, indicator light.
Feedback — output information fed back to influence the input. E.g. thermostat: room temperature (output) controls the heating (input).
Do NOT accept RAM, ROM, chip, or motherboard as process components (Jun 2024 Q13 mark scheme).

Exam questions — 3 questions · 9 marks · real AQA 8552 past papers

1 markSystems componentsAQA 8552 Jun 2024 Q13

An automatic night light uses a light sensor, a microcontroller, and an LED. Which is the process component?

A Light sensor

B Microcontroller

C LED

D Battery

1 markRenewable energy choiceAQA 8552 Jun 2024 Q10

A remote mountain hut has no mains electricity. Which energy source is most suitable?

A Coal generator

B Nuclear power station

C Solar panels

D Natural gas

4 marksDescribe an electronic system with feedbackAQA 8552 Jun 2024 Q13 style

A burglar alarm sounds a siren when a door sensor is triggered. Identify the input, process and output. Then describe how feedback could be incorporated. (4 marks)

Hint: Label each component clearly (input/process/output). For feedback: the output influences the system to change its behaviour — describe a specific mechanism.

+40 XP

Energy sources

Systems — input, process, output

Module complete!