12.1 - Sustainable energy supply

Fossil fuels characteristics

• Non-renewable

• create by the decomposition of plants and animals that have accumulated over millions of years

• Oil and gas - they move upwards through porous rock, but can get trapped by impermeable rock and form a reservoir, the hydrocarbons stored can undergo fractional distillation

• Coal - Found deep underground, soli, must be mined

Nuclear energy characteristics

• Non-renewable

• Uranium-235 undergoes fission

• Energy is released and used to move a turbine and create heat

• Extracted from pit mines, but more of the uranium in isotope 238

• Releases no greenhouse gases

Wind energy characteristics

• Renewable

• Wind moves a turbine, creating kinetic energy which is converted into electricity

Tidal energy characteristics

• Renewable

• Tidal turbines are used to harness the energy of the waves

Geothermal energy characteristics

• Renewable

• Used in Iceland

• Hot water bought up to the surface from wells, where it has ben heated by magma chambers of volcanoes

• This creates steam which creates kinetic energy to be used for electricity

Hydroelectricity characteristics

• Renewable

• Dams release water down slope, this energy is used to create electricity

Biofuels characteristics

• Renewable, but produce greenhouse gases

• used in India

• It is material from unused plants being burned to create energy, they can also be mixed with gasoline

Solar energy characteristics

• Renewable

• Suns heat is used to be converted into electricity

• can be used on demand in homes

Non-recyclable energy

• renewable

• Incinerated waste creating heat

• which creates energy to be converted into electricity

Energy mix definition

The combination and breakdown of primary energy sources that are used in order to meet energy demand in a certain geographical region

Energy gap definition

The gap between energy supply and demand when the supply is unable to meet the demands of a country so energy must be supplied from a different country

Energy security definition

Where a country can ensure that energy can be supplied at an uninterrupetd rate at and affordable price for everyone

Energy’s importance in development

Allows the world to be connected, which drives globalisation

allows global economies to grow and countries to develop at a faster rate than when energy was first harnessed

Technologies effect on energy demand

Increase in technology e.g. heat engines - made transport energy common

technology needs energy to run - in HICs more devices and tech used

Increases energy demand

Climates effect on energy demand

colder countries need more energy for heating

increases energy demand

Level of development effect on energy demand

More developed a country - the more energy is used as people can afford it

energy demand increases

Energy prices impact on supply and demand

they increased on a global scale

rise in prices made it possible to extract oil from tar sands in canada

Pollution impact on energy supply

LICs/MICs use non renewable energy - economic profit outweighs the pollution

energy production is main cause of global warming

Energy policys impact on energy supply

they are put in place between governemnts and TNCs - help to ensure energy supply isnt getting too expensive

Resource endowments imapct on energy supply

some countries have large natural abundancy to eneergy resources

e.g. China - coal

russia - oil, gas

uk - wind

australia + canada - U-235

countries with little resources have to relay on policies to meet energy demand through trade and globalisation as they cant self produce

Sustainbilitys’s impact on energy supply

some countries cnat supply renewable energy to help environment

they are more expensive to use as a natural energy resource

Climates impact on energy supply

windy climates can use wind power

sunny climates can use solar power

rainy climates can use hydroelectric power

climate dictates what natural renewable resource can be used as a supply

Capitals impact on energy supply

Large investments are needed to produce energy

Power Stations and transport for energy are expensive to build

LICs might not have the money, more reliant on TNCs

technologies impact on energy supply

machines can be used to mine deeper and collect more resources, increases supply

Nuclear power station technology developed to meet demand

hydrogen energy

Can be used as clean energy source - only produces water

can be hard to find sustainably - but can help a low carbon future

Combined heat and power (CHP)

Stops heat being lost while being - 20% cheaper and 80% efficient

excess heat returned to grid by being captured and stored to be used as heating

Factors effecting energy supply

Social - physical population, what they use energy for, quality of life all effect energy

Economic - LICs may get money for energy infrastructure through FDI inflows, as ability to supply energy relies on development

Political 0 Policies and agreements need to be made to help LIC/MICs get energy from HICs

Environmental - Different energy supplies are sound in different locations e.g. oil rich countries, some countries are resource rich but dont have the devlopment to tap into it

UK’s current energy policy

Creating a British energy firm, standardised government owned energy company, created by taxing oil and gas companies and using the money to create company

Plans for major offshore wind farm expansion - to stop reliance on Russia for energy, as prices have been driven up, creating the cost of living crisis

The company will work with private sectors to develop energy technology

There is a plan to decarbonise electricity by 2030 - and open no new gas or oil fields

Energy demand and supply in the UK

UK does not have energy security - high demand and low supply from within the country

Very reliant on imports from other countries - Russia (using energy as political weapon)

As we tapped into our natural coal resources very early on

There has been increase in use of renewables in recent years from around 2008

Energy Trilemma

The balance between:

energy security - ability to effectively meet current and future energy demand

Energy equity- Accessibility and affordability of energy supply across the popualtion

Environmental sustainability - ability for energy supply to be met using renewable and low carbon sources

Explanations of energy trilemma

• Middle east have large oil reserves, which gives access to energy to people with very little transport cost, which means prices can be lowered and people of all incomes can access the energy

• Asian countries are investing into Latin America, providing the infrastructure for hydropower

• North America is very self sustaining with energy due to huge oil reserves below the permafrost in Alaska, which is becoming more accessible due to global warming causing the permafrost to melt

• Detail is lost in the Trilemma graphs in Asia as the large MICs that are pushing for sustainable energy such as China and India, have their information lost when averaged with the largely populated LICs that are very reliant on non-renewables

Fossil Fuel consumption

• Oil is the most used, referred to as liquid gold, worth the most money

• Oil is also the only one practical for transport use

• peak of oil extraction was 2005, has been decreasing since

• MICs and HICs have the most oil consumption, USA, India, China (top 3)

Nuclear energy consumption

• Hugh consumption in france, they get most of their resources from Africa, socio-economic impacts (use of child labour)

• Very safe, dont produce fossil fuels, but if something goes wrong there will be lasting impacts on humans and environment

• Barely used in the southern hemisphere as it is very expensive and infrastructure takes a long time build

Renewable energy consumption

• biofuel is most common, as inexpensive and doesnt need much technology

• Wind power becoming more common as it becomes cheaper, same for solar panels

• Hydropower is being harnessed more, especially in Norway, Nepal and China

Environmental impact of energy production

• Lower temporal impact as countries switch to renewables

• but only small areas of production affected (e.g. Mississippi coal mines, Chernobyl, Canada tar sands)

• Chernobyl - Radiation with 50,000 years impact, creating exclusion zone

• Tar sands - causes 3600 tons of Co2, extraction uses water that people could be using

Environmental impact of energy transport

• Impact usually due to human error, so more avoidable

• As transport becomes more efficient, e.g. using national grid for electricity

• e.g. SS Torey Canyon oil spills in Cornwall

• oil spill clean up uses harmful chemicals - oil very flammable, releases methane

• impacts ecosystems and food chain distribution - e.g. dish soap used to clean animals, goes back into sea, gets ingested by animals

Environmental impacts of energy use

• large spatial impact as all countries use energy and all emit greenhouse gases

• large temporal impact - as need for energy will increase with popualtion growth

• so much co2 in atmosphere that even is emissions stopped temps would still rise

• e.g. large industrial use in china - more emissions as less access to renewables

• differences in demand between LICs and HICs - so impacts will be different