Energy
ENERGY
-is the ability to do work.
-it comes in different forms such as heat, light, motion, electrical, chemical, nuclear and
gravitational.
-energy resources are at the core of the global economy. It is vital for economic growth and
development.
-energy sources can be renewable or non-renewable.
a) Renewable energy sources
-these are energy sources that can be easily replenished. They can be used over and over again.
-the sources of renewable energy are mainly forces of nature that are sustainable and that usually
cause little or no environmental pollution.
-renewable energy includes HEP, biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and wave power.
-there are economic and technological challenges in converting their potential.
b) Non-renewable energy sources
-these are finite, so once used up cannot be easily replenished. They get exhausted.
-are used up faster than they can be renewed.
-they include fossil fuels (petroleum products, natural gas and coal) and nuclear energy.
-these fuels are relatively easy to develop and cheap to use however, have become major polluters
of the environment.
-coal, oil and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they were formed over millions of years by
heat and pressure from rock and soil on the remains of dead plants and creatures.
-nuclear energy is produced from uranium
-they currently dominate global energy.
-the burning of fossil fuels creates considerable amount of pollution and is a major source of
greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change due to these emissions is by far the biggest
environmental problem facing the planet.
Energy Usage
-there is a big gap in energy consumption between rich and poor countries.
-wealth is the main factor explaining the energy gap. Rich countries are able to produce and
consume more energy than poor ones.
-besides wealth, energy usage also depends on;
a) Technological development- how advanced is your technology to exploit certain energy
sources e.g. nuclear, wind and gas.
b) Increasing National wealth- as average incomes increase, living standards improve which
also increase energy usage and greater variety of energy sources.
c) Changes in demand- what is the energy source, is it the one most people prefer or they are
abandoning it for another e.g. coal to gas.
d) Changes in price- the price of an energy source can determine its demand. Electricity
production in Uk has been switching from coal to gas over the last 20 years because power
stations are cheaper to run on natural gas.
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e) Environmental factors/ public opinion- these can influence government decisions (policies).
People are now better informed about environmental impact of energy sources that they
were in the past.
f) Capital/ levels of development- is there enough capital to develop, supply and use a
particular energy source.
g) Pollution and energy policy- how polluting is the energy source. Are there any policies that
govern the use of particular energy source?
h) Resource endowment- Is the country endowed with sources of energy that can be
exploited? Are they physically available?
-so in conclusion, the following is the trend:
• The most developed countries tend to use a wide mix of energy sources
• The high investment required for nuclear energy means that only a limited number of
countries produce electricity this way.
• Richer nations have been able to invest more money in renewable sources of energy.
• In the poorest countries, fuelwood is an important source of energy.
Energy Demand
-the demand for energy has increased steadily over time.
-fossil fuels dominate the global energy consumption. Their global consumption was;
Global energy consumption
3.20%
2.50% 8.30%
Oil
37.30% Coal
Natural gas
HEP
31.30%
Nuclear
other
17.40%
-in contrast, HEP accounted for 2,5% and nuclear energy 8,3%.
USE OF INDIVIDUAL ENERGY SOURCES
a) Non-renewable
1. Oil
-it is the most widely used
-it is the main source of energy in three of the six regions of the world and second in importance in
the other three regions.
-the largest global consumers are the USA (19.7%) and China (12.9%).
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2. Coal
-it is the main source of energy in the Asia pacific region. In contrast it only accounts for 1.2% of
consumption in the Middle East and just over 5% in south and Central America. China was
responsible for 50% of global coal consumption in 2015 followed by India (10.6%), USA (10.3%).
-the use of coal declined sharply between 2010 and 2015. This decline has continued to date due to:
➢ The most accessible deposits have been used up
➢ The remaining are dangerous or uneconomic to mine
➢ Costs of production have risen due to expensive machinery and increased wages
➢ Demand for coal for both domestic, industrial and power stations use has declined.
➢ An increase in alternative methods of generating electricity and cleaner forms of energy.
3. Natural Gas
-it has become the fastest growing energy resource. Its global production has increased.
-it provides an alternative to oil and coal.
-it is the main source of energy in Europe and Eurasia, and has recently been used more in the
Middle East. Its lowest use is in Asia Pacific (11%).
-the largest individual consumers are USA (22.8%) and Russia (11.2%) of the world total.
-currently gas is considered the cleanest and cheapest of the fossil fuels.
4. Nuclear Energy
-is produced from Uranium.
-it has a longer life span than oil, gas or coal and can be transported more easily and cheaply.
-the development of nuclear energy has been seen as a clean and sustainable energy source.
However it is very expensive due to its technological requirements. It is also a potential dangerous
military weapon.
-it is most important in Europe, Eurasia and North America.
-can mainly be used for electricity not heating or transport. It now accounts for about 11% of world’s
electricity.
b) Renewable energy
-consumption of renewable energy other than HEP is rising rapidly, but from a very narrow base.
Renewables made the largest relative contribution to energy consumption in Europe and Eurasia.
-countries are eager to harness renewable energy resources to;
• Reduce their reliance on dwindling fossil fuel resources
• Lower reliance on costly fossil fuel imports
• Improve energy security with higher domestic energy production
• Cut greenhouse gas emissions for a cleaner environment and to satisfy international
obligations.
1. H.E.P
-of the traditional five major sources of energy, HEP is the only one that is renewable.
-it is widely used. However its availability depends on regular supply of fast flowing water.
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-countries with largest use of HEP are China (28.5%), Canada (9.7%), Brazil (9.1%) and USA (6.4%).
(2015). Many countries are increasingly relying on HEP.
Advantages;
• It is a clean energy source
• Once set up, it is cheap to maintain.
• In many countries there is still possibility of new small scale HEP plants to supply local
communities
• It is renewable
-despite it being a clean energy source, it has the following challenges/ disadvantages:
• Initial investment costs are high. Capital is needed for technology to build dams, power
stations, installation of turbines and pylons.
• Large dams can mean large areas of vegetation being cleared
• Deterioration of water quality
• Large Agriculture land lost
• Wild life habitats destroyed
• Submerging large forests without clearing them can release significant quantities of
methane- a greenhouse gas.
• People being displaced
• Large areas of land are flooded behind the dam.
• Dams can be a flood risk if they collapse or overflow.
• Dams increase the risk of earthquakes
2. Wind
-it is the most important and most successful of the new renewable technologies.
-worldwide, the capacity of wind energy is approaching 432 000mega watts with highest
installations in 2014, however only a few countries use it.
-China currently leads with 31% of global capacity followed by USA, German, India and Spain. These
5 countries account for over 67% of global total.
-recently highest number of installations has been in LICs.
-wind farms are best suited in places where:
➢ Winds are strong, steady and reliable
➢ Landscape is either high or exposed
Advantages
• Although expensive to build, wind farms are cheap and safe to operate.
• it is pollution free, does not contribute to global warming or acid rain
• Compared to most other forms of renewable energy, it can generate significant amounts of
electricity.
• It can be used to a reasonable degree in most parts of the world
• Farmers can get more money from a wind farm than crops on the same piece of land.
Disadvantages
- it has the following challenges:
• Huge turbines produce noise and impair radio and TV reception
• People are concerned that huge turbines located nearby could blight their homes and can
impact on property values.
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• The blades are a danger to birds
• Turbines can affect airport radar systems
• Electricity costs are higher than from traditional sources.
• It is difficult to store power for when production is not possible.
• Suitable areas are close to costs where land is expensive and scenically beautiful.
3. Solar Energy
-its use is generally growing and has huge potential. Currently it constitutes 1.5% of all global
electricity generation.
-German, China, Italy, Japan, and USA lead the global market for solar power.
Advantages
• it is safe, pollution free, efficient and of limitless supply.
• There is no noise during electricity generation.
• There is very limited maintenance required to keep solar plants running.
• Solar power technology is improving consistently over time and reducing costs.
• It can be used in remote areas where it is too expensive to extend the electricity grid.
• It generally has a positive public perception
Disadvantages
➢ It is expensive to construct solar stations ( high initial costs)
➢ Panels have to be tilted and carefully positioned to avoid a shade on neighbouring panels.
➢ Power cannot be harnessed during storms, on cloudy days or at night.
➢ It is of limited use in countries with low annual hours of sunshine
➢ Large areas of land required for the solar panels.
4. Biofuels/ Biomass
-is obtained from organic matter such as crops (oil seed), plants (wheat and sugar; bio-diesel and
ethanol) and animal waste.
-It includes fuel wood which is widely used in LICs especially Africa and Asia.
- Biofuels can also be mixed with petrol and diesel
-the biggest producers are the USA (41.4%), Brazil (23.6%) and German (4.6%). By increasing biofuel
production, these countries have reduced the amount of oil they need.
Advantages of biofuels
• they come from a renewable source (crops)
• can be produced wherever there is sufficient crop growth
• help create energy security
• they often produce cleaner emissions than fossil fuels.
Disadvantages
• the use of biofuels is causing challenges including competition for land with food crops
(leading to a food crisis)
• large amounts of water and fertilisers are needed for large scale production
• the manufacture of biofuels uses significant amounts of energy creating greenhouse gas
emissions.
• In addition, biofuels have a lower energy output than traditional fuels.
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5. Geo-thermal energy
-it is the natural heat found in the Earth’s crust in the form of steam, hot water and hot rock.
-Used mostly in areas of active volcanoes. Uses energy from heated rocks (magma) and hot springs
-used in countries such as Iceland, New Zealand, Kenya, Philippines, Italy, Japan, Indonesia and USA.
-USA is the world leader in geothermal electricity. However, total production accounts for less than
0.4% of the electricity used in the USA.
Advantages
• low environmental impact
• generation is not dependent on weather
• geothermal plants occupy relatively small land areas
• Relatively low maintenance cost (installation costs are high though).
Disadvantages
• there are few locations worldwide where significant amounts of energy can be generated
• some of these locations are far from where the energy could be used
• installation costs of plant and piping are relatively high.
• Total global generation remains very small
6. Tidal and Wave energy
-it is in its infancy but has potential
-these are like underwater windmills where turbines are turned by tides to generate energy.
-it is reliable and predictable.
-major schemes are in France, Canada, China and Russia.
Advantages
• it is renewable
• has a low maintenance cost
• it is more predictable than solar and wind energy.
Disadvantages
• effects on fish populations and other marine life
• levels of sedimentation building up behind facilities
• possible obstruction of ships and
• Start-up costs are high.
-wave energy is derived from generators placed on the ocean’s surface and energy levels are
determined by the strength of the waves. A number of research projects are on-going.
7. Fuelwood in developing countries
-in developing countries, about 2.5 billion people (18% of the world population) rely on fuelwood,
charcoal and animal dung for cooking.
- It provides much of the energy needs for sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
-income, regional electrification and household size are the main factors influencing the demand for
fuelwood.
-it is cheap and readily available
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-availability of wood is now threatened by population growth, lack of capital and technology for
alternative energy sources.
-use of wood is creating serious environmental challenges since there is no capital to neither replant
nor time for regeneration.
-in developing countries the concept of the energy ladder is important. Here, a transition from
fuelwood and animal dung to higher level sources of energy occurs as part of the process of
economic development.
-forest depletion is initially heavy near urban areas but slows down as cities become wealthier and
change to other forms of energy.
-it is the more isolated rural areas that are most likely to lack connection to an electricity grid. In
such areas the reliance on fuelwood is greatest.
-wood is likely to remain the main source of fuel for the global poor.
The benefits and disadvantages of nuclear power
-until recently, the future of nuclear power looked bleak with a number of countries apparently
closing down their plants and many others against the idea of introducing nuclear electricity.
However, fears about oil supplies, energy security and climate change have brought back this
controversial source of power onto the global energy agenda.
-the largest consumers of global nuclear energy in 2015 were USA (32.6%), France (17%), Russia
(7.6%), China (6.6%) and South Korea (6.4%).
-the concerns (disadvantages) about nuclear energy are that;
• Power plant accidents that could release radiation into the air, land and sea
• Radioactive waste storage and disposal is a problem. The material generates heat and
corrodes containers. It can cause death within a few days to anyone directly exposed to it.
No country has a long term solution to the nuclear waste problem.
• Rogue states or terrorist use of nuclear fuel for weapons.
• High construction and decommissioning costs. On average, the cost is $6.3 billion for a new
nuclear power plant.
• The possible increase in certain types of cancer near nuclear plants.
-despite these challenges/ disadvantages, nuclear energy has the following advantages;
• Zero emissions of greenhouse gases
• Reduced reliance on imported fossil fuels.
• Nuclear power is not vulnerable to fuel price fluctuations as oil and gas. Added to that is the
fact that Uranium is relatively plentiful.
• In recent years, nuclear plants have demonstrated a very high level of reliability and
efficiency as technology has advanced.
Case Study
Energy supply in a country or area
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