6.4B Factors Affecting Access to & Consumption of Energy

• Factors Affecting Access to and Consumption of Energy:

  -> There are many factors that affect a country’s access to and consumption of energy including:

  • Physical availability
  • Cost
  • Technology
  • Public perception
  • Level of economic development
  • Climate 
  • Environmental priorities
• Physical availability:

  • Domestic energy sources may be available, but they may not be easily accessible
  • If energy sources are not available within the country, the energy will have to be imported (adding to the overall cost of energy to the consumer)
• Cost:

  -> There are a range of costs involved in the access and consumption of energy

  1. The cost of the physical exploitation

  2. The cost of processing (converting a primary energy into a secondary energy)

  3. The cost of delivery to the consumer
• Technology:

  • Modern technology is very useful in the exploitation of energy e.g., oil that requires deep drilling into the earth
  • As a result of modern technology making energy sources more accessible, increasing energy consumption usually follows 
• Public perception:

  • Energy costs can be perceived differently in different countries, for example what may be perceived as expensive in one country may seem reasonable in another
  • Public perception will usually depend on the level of economic development of a country and the standard of living
• Level of economic development:

  • The higher the level of development and standard of living in a country, the less sensitive they are to energy costs
  • Developed countries tend to have relatively high levels of energy consumption as people have more domestic appliances that make everyday living comfortable and use more forms of transport
• Climate:

  • Regions such as North America, the Middle East and Australia have high levels of consumption as a result of the extra energy required to make the extremes of heat and cold more comfortable
• Environmental priorities:

  • Governments may opt for more expensive methods to meet their energy needs out of concern for the environment and the need to reduce carbon emissions
• Comparison of Energy Use in France and the USA

  • The USA (2nd) and France (10th) are ranked within the world’s top ten largest energy consumer
  • significant differences between the two countries as the total energy consumption for France is 243 mtoe compared to the USA at 2,224 mtoe
  • differences can be explained by :
  • The USA has a significantly higher population of 334 million compared to 65.6 million living in France
  • The size of the USA results in the country experiencing extremes of heat and cold which requires huge amounts of energy (for heating and lighting) to counteract them
• Comparison of Energy Use in France and the USA:

  • The USA only has 10% coming from renewable energy and 8% from nuclear 
  • France has 10% from renewables and 41% coming from nuclear energy 
  • -> The energy security of the USA and France differ too, with the USA being considered more energy secure than France because:
  • France relies on 46% of its energy supplies being imported as all of its natural gas and oil are imported along with the uranium required for its nuclear power
  • The USA only imports around 15%