energy in the uk

• Traditionally, the UK's 'Energy Mix' consisted of:

  • In 1970, 91% of energy came from oil and coal
  • By 1980, 22% of the UK's energy came from gas due to the discovery of gas beneath the North Sea
  • The use of nuclear power increased during the 1990s
• Currently, the UK is reliant on imported fossil fuels due to a decline in reserves of oil and gas
• Problems with relying on coal, oil, and gas:

  • Burning them releases carbon emissions, causing climate change and pollution
  • Coal mining causes environmental problems and health issues for miners
  • Oil drilling and transportation are risky and can lead to environmental disasters
  • Natural gas is a powerful greenhouse gas and a non-renewable resource
• Definition of 'renewable' and 'non-renewable' energy:

  • Renewable sources can be used repeatedly and include the sun, waves, tides, running water, and geothermal heat
  • Non-renewable sources will run out and are formed over thousands of years
• Nuclear energy is considered renewable, but the fuel required is not renewable

  • Fracking is a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock, making natural gas a fossil fuel
• 
  

  Nuclear:

  • Advantages: creates jobs, cheaper energy, cleaner
  • Disadvantages: high costs, adverse environmental impact
• Fracking:

  • Advantages: generates jobs, cheap
  • Disadvantages: pollution, high water consumption, contaminated sludge
• Biomass:

  • Advantages: renewable, reliable
  • Disadvantages: huge building costs, waste storage challenges
• In the future, the UK's energy supply should be more renewable-based with minimal reliance on non-renewable resources. More funding should be allocated to greener energy sources to create jobs. Cutting down on nuclear energy supply is recommended.
• Coal:

  • Advantages: easy to store, inexpensive to convert into energy, reliable
  • Disadvantages: emits toxic substances, causes environmental problems, health issues for miners
• Wind:

  • Advantages: no need for fuel, does not contribute to climate change
  • Disadvantages: poses a threat to wildlife, can be noisy
• Solar:

  • Advantages: decreases non-renewable resource use, long-term savings
  • Disadvantages: sunlight dependent, high upfront costs
• Hydropower:

  • Advantages: inexpensive in the long run, renewable
  • Disadvantages: expensive upfront costs, location-specific
• Geothermal:

  • Advantages: environmentally friendly, reliable
  • Disadvantages: high initial costs, location-specific
• Oil:

  • Advantages: versatile, high energy density
  • Disadvantages: releases gases, risky drilling, dangerous profession, non-renewable
• Natural Gas:

  • Advantages: abundant, relatively clean, cheap
  • Disadvantages: powerful greenhouse gas, non-renewable