P3 - Energy Resources

• The main ways that we use the Earth's energy resources are:

  • generating electricity
  • heating
  • transport
• Most of our energy currently comes from fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas
• Reliable energy resources


  Energy resources that are available all the time in sufficient quantities
• Non-renewable energy resources

  • not replaces as quickly as they are used
  • will eventually run out
• Examples of non-renewable energy resources

  • fossil fuels
  • nuclear fission
• Renewable energy resources

  • can be replaced at the same rate they are used
  • will not run out
• Examples of renewable energy sources

  • solar
  • tidal
  • wave
  • wind
  • geothermal
• Coal

  • Main use - generating electricity
  • Source - extracted from underground
  • Advantages - enough energy to meet current demands, reliable, relatively cheap to extract and use
  • Disadvantages - will eventually run out, release carbon dioxide when burnt, one of the main causes of climate change, releases sulfur dioxide when burnt which causes acid rain
• Oil

  • Main uses - generating electricity, transport, heating
  • Source - extracted from underground
  • Advantages - enough energy to meet current demands, reliable, relatively cheap to extract and use
  • Disadvantages - will eventually run out, releases carbon dioxide when burnt, one of the main causes of climate change, releases sulfur dioxide when burnt which causes acid rain
  • Oil spills in the ocean kill marine life
• Natural gas

  • Uses - generating electricity, heating
  • Source - extracted from underground
  • Advantages - enough available to meet demands, reliable, relatively cheap to use
  • Disadvantages - will eventually run out, release carbon dioxide and other polluting gases when burnt
• Nuclear fission

  • Main use - generating electricity
  • Source - mining naturally occuring elements, such as uranium and plutonium
  • Advantages - no pollution or greenhouse gases produced, enough available to meet current demands, large amounts of energy transferred from a small mass of fuel, reliable
  • Disadvantages - produces nuclear waste (dangerous, difficult and expensive to dispose of, stored for centuries before it is safe to dispose of), expensive to build, run, and decomission
• Solar energy

  • Main uses - generating electricity, heating
  • Source - sunlight transfers energy to solar cells, sunlight transfers energy to solar heating panels
  • Advantages - can be used in remote places, very cheap to run once installed, no pollution produced
  • Disadvantages - supply depends on weather, expensive to buy and install, cannot supply large scale demand
• Hydroelectric energy

  • Main use - generating electricity
  • Source - water flowing downhill turns generators
  • Advantages - low running cost, no fuel cost, reliable, supply can be controlled to meet demand
  • Disadvantages - expensive to build hyrdroelectric dams, flood a large area behind the dam, destroying habitats and resulting in greenhouse gases from rotting vegetation
• Tidal energy

  • Main use - generating electricity
  • Source - turbines on tidal barrages turned by water as the tide comes in and out
  • Advantages - predictable supply as there are always tides, can produce large amounts of electricty, no fuel costs, no pollution produced
• Wave energy

  • Main use - generating electricity
  • Source - floating generators powered by waves moving up and down
  • Advantages - low running cost, no fuel cost, no pollution produced
  • Disadvantages - floating generators change marine habitats, can be dangerous for boats, are expensive to install and maintain, are dependant on weather, cannot supply large scale demand
• Wind energy

  • Main use - generating electricity
  • Source - turbines turned by the wind
  • Advantages - low running costs, no fuel costs, no pollution produced
  • Disadvantages - supply depends on weather, large amounts of land to generate enough electricity to supply large scale demands, can produce nise pollution for nearby residents
• Geothermal energy

  • Main uses - generating electricity, heating
  • Source - radioactive substances deep within the Earth transfer heat energy to the surface
  • Advantages - low running costs, no fuel costs, no pollution produced
  • Disadvantages - expensive to set up, only possible in a few locations around the world
• Biofuels

  • Main uses - generating electricity, transport
  • Source - fuel produced from living or recently living organisms (e.g. plant and animal waste)
  • Advantages - can be carbon neutral, reliable, supply can be controlled to meet demans
  • Disadvantages - expensive to produce, growing biofuels requires a lot of land and water, can lead to deforestation if forests are cleared for growing biofuel crops