CASE STUDY: SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SUPPLIES

describe the UK's energy mix?

-40% natural gas-20% nuclear-20% wind-10% solar, biomass and hydroelectrical

describe the changes in the UK's energy mix?

-over the past decade the UK's energy mix has shifted away from coal and towards renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power-in 2010, coal made up around 30% of the UK's energy mix, but by 2020, it had fallen to less than 2%-at the same time, the share of renewable energy in the UK's energy mix has grown significantly from 6% in 2010 to over 40% in 2020-the use of natural gas and nuclear power has stayed relatively stable during this period

what are the reasons for the UK's change in energy mix?

-one reason is the UK government's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions -the UK government committed to increasing the contribution of renewable energy sources 30% by 2030-another reason is the declining cost of renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar power which has made them more competitive with fossil fuels

how has resource endowment affected the UK's energy mix?

-the discovery of large reserves of North Sea oil and gas after the 1970s greatly altered the UK's energy mix-the North Sea reserves became a secure alternative to dependency on Middle Eastern oil, after prices there rose in early 1970s-however, the North Sea's reserves of oil and gas are finite, and production from these fields is expected to decline in the coming years-as a result, the UK is looking to diversify its sources of energy and reduce its reliance of fossil fuels

describe the scale of the UK's offshore wind power?

-the UK is the world leading generator of offshore wind and power-it currently supplies electricity for more than 5 millions homes, in reality spread across 30 million homes-the Hornsea One project in the North Sea, completed in 2020 has 174 giant turbines and has the largest electricity generating capacity in the world

what are the economic advantages of the UK's offshore wind energy?

-created great employment opportunities in research and engineering. this has improved the skill level of employees which has positive implications for the wider economy-wind farms decrease the UK's reliance on imports of fossil fuels

what is an economic disadvantage of the UK's offshore wind energy?

-wind farms are expensive to build and this increases the cost of energy for consumers

what is an example of an offshore wind farm in the UK?

-Thanet wind farm-100 turbines creates enough electricity for 200,000 local homes-it cost £800 million

what are the social and political advantages of UK's offshore wind energy?

-the project created 3,600 employment opportunities during construction and now 200 for ongoing maintenance locally in Thanet -nationally by 2030 wind power could create 30,000+ employment opportunities

what are the social disadvantages of the UK's offshore wind energy?

-employment is not always suited to the local population skills; only 25% of construction employment was taken by Thanet's local popn

what is an environmental disadvantage of UK's offshore wind energy?

-the London School of Economics estimates there could be between 10,000 and 100,000 bird deaths a year from wind energy in the UK

describe Norway's energy mix?

-Norway's energy mix is dominated by renewable energy sources, particularly hydropower-hydropower accounts for around 95% of Norway's energy mix, making it one of the most hydro dependant countries in the world

how has Norway's physical characteristics affected its energy mix?

-Norway is mountainous with steep valleys and plentiful rainfall-large numbers of rivers and waterfalls

how has Norway's energy consumption changed from 1960 to 2015?

consumption has roughly tripled from just under 2000 tonnes of oil equivalent to around 6000 tonnes of oil equivalent

what are the reasons for Norway's increasing demand in energy?

-population has grown from 3.5 millions in 1960 to 5.5 million in 2022-Norwegian's incomes have grown significantly since the early 1970s-standard of living has grown too as housing as gotten bigger, warmer and better insulated-Norway has 250,000 private cars in 1960-by 2020, this figure was 2,750,000

Where is the Three Gorges Dam?How high and long is it?How much did it coast to build?

The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that crosses the Yangtze river located in Hubei, a landlocked province in central China. It is 181 meters high and 2335 meters long and cost $23 billion.

Why was it built? When was it finished and running?

It started because of the devastation floods in the Yangtze drainage basin and was built to reduce the risk of flooding for the growing population downstream. It was also built to generate HEP and diversify China's energy mix from its dependence on coal and to fuel economic growth. Construction was completed in 2006, but it wasn't up and running until 2011/12

What are the social opportunities created?

Cruises now run along the Yangtze River providing luxury all inclusive trips and a tourist industry. Lots of settlements that were created to re-house people provide a better standard of living, with greater access to infrastructure and improved provision of key services such as health care and schools

What are the economic opportunities created? How many people visited the dam in late January 2015? How much money did this create? What is the estimated output of power?

The dam has become a tourist attraction. For example , during 8 days of January, 2015, 565,000 people visited the dam, bringing in around $30 million. The dam generates a lot of electricity which helps to power local infrastructure. It has an estimated output of 85TWh per year.

What are the environmental opportunities created?What did the Chinese government do?How many hectares of cropland are going to be returned to forest or Greenland?

The dam has reduced the risk of flooding for 100 million downstream. The Chinese government launched a policy to make up for the loss of greenland which aims to return 15 million hectares of cropland back to forest and Greenland.

What are the social challenges and What were the problems with the resettlement project?

Around 1.3 million people were displaced by the rising water behind the dam and in total, 13 cities and many more towns and villages have been submerged. The resettlement project was intended to reduce the social and cultural problems associated with migration. However, most of favourable farmland with fertile soils and flat land was already occupied so displaced people were given land with steeper slopes and poorer quality of soils.

What are the economic challenges?

The dam cost €23 billion to build however a number of outside sources say it cost much more, estimated up to €88 billion.

What are the environmental challenges?

It has change the ecosystem of the river and interrupted fish migration and altered the Yangtze river's chemical balance. It has also changed the temperature of the water and changed flow velocity. Some believe it caused the famous Chinese river dolphin to become extinct whilst also endangering other species such as the Chinese paddlefish.In the 1st 5 months after the dam was built, 150 landslides were recorded because the water level was at full capacity and was believed to be eroding the surrounding weak slopes.The reservoir also sits on two major fault lines which are strained by the change of water levels. This can cause fault activity and is thought to intensify and induce earthquakes.