Energy
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Non-renewable energy
Energy sources that will eventually run out because they take millions of years to form.
Non-renewable doesn't mean they'll run out tomorrow — but burning them releases CO₂, driving climate change.
Non-renewable energy — Key Knowledge
- Coal solid fossil fuel — formed from ancient plant material in swamps
- Oil liquid fossil fuel — formed from marine organisms under pressure
- Natural gas gaseous fossil fuel — often found with oil deposits
- Formed over millions of years from dead organisms compressed under heat and pressure
Advantages of fossil fuels
Reasons why fossil fuels still dominate global energy supply.
Despite their problems, fossil fuels still provide about 80% of the world's energy.
Advantages of fossil fuels — Key Knowledge
- Reliable produce energy on demand — not weather-dependent
- High energy output large amounts of electricity from a single power station
- Existing infrastructure power stations, pipelines, petrol stations already built
- Relatively cheap established technology, large reserves still available
- Can be transported oil and gas moved by pipeline, tanker, ship
Disadvantages of fossil fuels
The problems associated with burning fossil fuels.
The environmental cost of fossil fuels is the main driver behind the global shift to renewables.
Disadvantages of fossil fuels — Key Knowledge
- Greenhouse gas emissions burning releases CO₂ — main cause of climate change
- Air pollution sulphur dioxide causes acid rain; particulates harm health
- Finite resource will eventually run out
- Environmental damage from extraction oil spills, open-cast mining, fracking
Nuclear power
Electricity generated from the energy released by splitting uranium atoms (nuclear fission).
Nuclear is low-carbon but not renewable — uranium will eventually run out, though reserves are large.
Nuclear power — Key Knowledge
- Fuel uranium — a non-renewable resource, but a small amount produces large energy
- No greenhouse gases during operation no CO₂ from the generation process itself
- Reliable generates electricity 24/7, not weather-dependent
Nuclear — advantages and disadvantages
Nuclear power is controversial — significant benefits and serious risks.
Countries disagree on nuclear — France generates about 70% of electricity from nuclear; Germany is phasing it out.
Nuclear — advantages and disadvantages — Key Knowledge
- Advantages large energy output from small fuel amount, no CO₂ emissions during operation, reliable baseload power
- Disadvantages radioactive waste dangerous for thousands of years, risk of accidents — Chernobyl 1986, Fukushima 2011, very expensive to build and decommission, public fear and opposition, uranium mining has environmental impacts
Fuelwood
Wood burned as fuel — the main energy source for many people in developing countries.
Fuelwood is not a choice but a necessity for many — lack of alternatives is the real issue.
Fuelwood — Key Knowledge
- Used by billions of people in LEDCs — for cooking and heating
- Advantages freely available, cheap, renewable if replanted
- Disadvantages deforestation if used faster than trees regrow, smoke causes respiratory disease, time-consuming to collect — often falls to women and children
Renewable energy — solar
Electricity generated from sunlight using photovoltaic cells or solar panels.
Solar power is growing fastest in sun-rich countries but improving technology is making it viable even in cloudier climates.
Renewable energy — solar — Key Knowledge
- How it works photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity
- Advantages free and unlimited energy source, no emissions during operation, can be small-scale — individual buildings
- Disadvantages intermittent — no power at night or on cloudy days, expensive to install, large solar farms need lots of space, manufacturing panels has environmental costs
Renewable energy — wind
Electricity generated by wind turning turbine blades.
The UK is one of the world's leaders in offshore wind power.
Renewable energy — wind — Key Knowledge
- Onshore wind farms cheaper to build, easier to maintain
- Offshore wind farms stronger, more consistent winds but more expensive
- Advantages no emissions during operation, renewable, can be built on farmland
- Disadvantages intermittent — no wind = no power, visual impact on landscape, noise, threat to birds, need backup supply for calm days
Renewable energy — HEP, wave and tidal
Water-based energy sources.
Don't confuse wave and tidal — waves are caused by wind; tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
Renewable energy — HEP, wave and tidal — Key Knowledge
- HEP — hydroelectric power dam built across a river; falling water turns turbines; reliable, large output; but floods valleys, displaces communities, disrupts ecosystems
- Wave power generators on the sea surface capture energy from wave movement; still developing, expensive
- Tidal power barrages or turbines capture energy from rising and falling tides; predictable — tides are reliable; expensive infrastructure, affects coastal habitats
Renewable energy — geothermal and biofuels
Energy from underground heat and organic matter.
Geothermal is ideal where available but most countries don't have suitable geology.
Renewable energy — geothermal and biofuels — Key Knowledge
- Geothermal heat from underground used to generate electricity or heat buildings directly; available 24/7; only viable where hot rock is near the surface — e.g. Iceland, Kenya
- Biofuels fuels made from organic matter — ethanol from crops, biodiesel from plant oils; renewable but growing fuel crops can compete with food production and cause deforestation
Energy and development
Energy use varies hugely between countries at different levels of development.
Access to reliable energy is both a cause and consequence of development — you need energy to develop, and development increases energy demand.
Energy and development — Key Knowledge
- MEDCs high energy consumption per person; mix of fossil fuels, nuclear and growing renewables
- LEDCs low energy consumption per person; often reliant on fuelwood and biomass
- Industrialising countries rapidly increasing energy demand — often met by coal and oil
- Energy poverty lack of access to modern energy services — affects health, education and economic development
Case study required
The spec requires a named energy example.
The case study should show how a country balances different energy sources and why.
Case study required — Key Knowledge
- Energy supply in a country or area energy mix, how it's changing, reasons for the mix, advantages and disadvantages