2.7 Alternatives to fossil fuels

How is the UK committing to decoupling the economy from fossil fuels?

• Subsidising new energy technology

• developing carbon capture schemes

• developing nuclear sources

• recycling waste energy

What is the strike price?

The minimum price per megawatt hour, which is set by the government

Why do strike prices vary?

Because energy sources can have different global supply or costs of production

What are the costs of nuclear power?

Nuclear meltdowns, such as Fukushima and Chernobyl, are rare but can have significant consequences

What are the benefits of nuclear power?

They provide energy for long amounts of time and each station creates thousands of jobs, such as Hinkley Point C, which will create 22,000 jobs

What are the costs of wind power?

Onshore wind farms are limited by planning restrictions and fears about harming bird life and creating blots on the landscape

What are the benefits of wind power?

They provide electricity for lots of homes, such as Dogger Bank, which is scheduled to supply 6 million homes by 2025

What are the costs of solar power?

There are campaigns against solar farms as groups claim developments like Cleve Hill Solar Farm are industrialising the countryside and replacing reproductive farmland

What are the benefits of solar farms?

They are a sustainable way to deliver power to homes and businesses

Why is biofuel so much better for the environment than traditional petrol?

Because cars running on bio-ethanol emit 80% less CO₂ than petrol-driven cars

What is a possible downside to biofuels?

Deforestation and the loss of farmland. Farm workers have lost land to grow sugar cane and so cannot grow food for themselves, which means many end up moving to the cities

What is another downside of biofuels to do with rural inequalities?

Companies have been buying up land in rural areas to grow sugar and soy, inflating land pices

What are recycled energy sources?

By-products of industrial processes re-used as fuel, which includes nuclear energy, where uranium is reprocessed

What are biofuels?

Fuels produced from organic matter, including plant and animal waste

What opportunities does biofuel provide?

Rural inward investment and local development projects, potentially leading to the positive multiplier effect in rural regions. Fuel also earns an export income, which can generate revenue through tax which can be used to support infrastructure improvements

What are the threats of biofuel?

It takes investment away from food production, contaminates water resources with pesticides or fertilisers and causes food shortages

Why are biofuels not carbon neutral?

• Biomass requires a fuel to start the burning

• most installations require industrial processes that use energy during their construction