Pre Release

• what is the pre release on

  • energy in the UK
  • renewable energy in the future in the UK
  • Morecambe bay and Duddon estuary tidal gateway project
• what is figure 1 p1

  • states why we consume energy - homes, lighting, heating, communication systems ie internet and calling, acess to hot water, cooking food
  • you wouldnt be able to produce, manufacture, store, transport etc goods and consumer products
  • graph 1 - compound graph - how energy consumption has fluctuated in the past 30 years, which sectors use the most energy - domestic is the most - heating, hot showers, cooking
  • services uses the least - human and digital work rather than machines
• what is in figure 1 p2?

  • energy mixes
  • definition of energy security
  • why energy security is important - political stability -
  • Stable supply = calm country: When a country has secure energy, everything runs more smoothly — the economy grows, people stay employed, and the government looks strong and capable.
  • 4As of energy security - availability may be affected by political factors, people must be able to access the supplys for energy
  • factors affecting energy security
• what factors affect energy security?

  • physical - fossil fuel reserves, coastal for tidal, large flat open spaces for wind turbines, sunny conditions for solar
  • costs - conflict and war may limit the accesibility of reserves, making them more limited and therefore more expensive
  • technology
  • political factors
• what is figure 1 p3

  • graph showing the balance between imports and exports of energy
  • imports decreased in the late 1900s due to fossil fuel production in north sea
  • 2000s - fossil fuels stop being extracted from north sea to due environmental and political issues, increasign imports again
• what is figure 1 p4

  • compares demand to capacity
  • shows that we are energy secure and we do have capabilities to meet demand
• what is figure 1 p5

  • shows which countries are mroe developed and which ones are still reliant on fossil fuels
  • latvia is an anomolie in eastern europe
  • portugal is best
  • russia is worst
• what is figure 2

  • renewable energy future in uk
  • renewable energy mix
  • types of renewable energy - UK mainly uses wind and solar - strong wind supply on the coast, solar is cheap to install, low waste compared to things such as nuclear
  • they also investing in nuclear and tidal more
• advantages of renewable energy

  • will not run out - good compared to fossil fuels - sustaiable and dosent impact future gens
  • less affected by political unrest - everyone has sun and wind no matter the political climate
  • job opportunities - developing technology, installing, repairing etc
  • better and more stable energy prices - no gas prices, prices arent affected by wars or conflict, stable runnign costs (the price to run a solar or wind farm is stable and dosent rly fluctuate), less importing, better supply = lower costs
• disadvantages of renewable energy

  • dependant on weather conditions - fossil fuels are constant
  • solar energy is aprox 40% less efficient than natural gas
  • very expensive - high initial investment for land and technology, infrastructure costs
  • require a lot of space - damages ecosystems, effects fish habitat, bird migration, deforestation for space
• why do we need new methods of energy generation?

  • Current political climate - russia/ukraine, conflict in the middle east, US tarrifs by Trump make it unreliable to import recources
  • UK needs to be self sufficient
  • UK dosen't use fossil fuel reserves anymore due to environmental impacts
  • Use solar and wind - becoming more reliant
  • 10th June - Kier Starmer approved new nuclear project
• why is nuclear better than tidal?

  • less impact on aquatic environemtn
  • brings less tourists and attraction to area