Energy demands

• Energy is needed in homes for cooking, heating and running appliances.
• Energy is used in public services, such as schools and hospitals, for running machinery and warming rooms.
• Energy is used in factories and farms for operating heavy-duty machines and production chains.
• Energy is used in transport, including buses, trains, cars and boats, and some trains and trams connect to an electricity supply.
• Producing and distributing electricity can cause environmental damage.
• Releasing energy from some stores causes pollution and harmful waste products.
• Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, contributing to the greenhouse effect, and sulphur dioxide which causes acid rain.
• During the Industrial Revolution, the process that transformed manufacturing from handmade to machine-made, mass-produced goods using water, steam and coal power transported by canal, rail and steamship, energy needs were high.
• Britain was the first country to have an Industrial Revolution.
• Advances in automation and transport caused a significant increase in the amount of fossil fuels extracted and burnt.
• In the 20th century, electricity became a convenient way of distributing energy.
• Electricity powered a wide range of devices and applications such as lighting, heating, computing technologies and operating machinery.
• Demand for energy varies with the time of year and the time of day.
• During early evening a lot of energy is needed for heating, lighting and cooking but overnight there is very little needed while people sleep.
• During winter there is more heating and lighting required than in summertime.
• Most of the electricity generated globally is still produced by fossil fuels.
• The existing infrastructure for extracting, transporting and processing fossil fuels makes them cheaper than setting up new alternatives.
• The recognised impact on the environment of burning fossil fuels has caused science and society to develop the use of renewable energy sources and make machines more efficient.
• In some developed countries, nuclear power stations are a growing form of electricity generation.
• Nuclear fuel can release large amounts of energy compared to fossil fuels and does not emit carbon dioxide.
• The radioactive waste that is produced by nuclear power stations is difficult to store and dispose of.
• Political and economic pressures can influence governments’ decisions about the use of energy resources.
• Countries where the economy is heavily based on extracting and exporting oil, have a strong interest in fossil fuels to be largely used in electricity generation.
• Growing countries like China need a large power output to keep growing their industry, which means they are likely to continue using fossil fuels and developing the use of nuclear power, alongside increasing supply from renewable sources of energy.