Energy

• Energy mix


  The balance of the different types of energy which a country uses
• The energy mix of the UK consists mostly of gas, coal and nuclear fuel
• The last oil-fired power station in the UK closed in 2015
• Renewable energy


  • Energy sources that are replenished and not exhausted, eg solar power
• Renewable fuels make up less than 10% of the UK's energy mix
• The government needs to increase the renewable energy figure to 15% by 2020 to meet its European Union target
• Wind farms


  • Land which contains a large group of wind turbines
• Over 50% of all renewable energy generated in the UK comes from wind farms
• Most of the wind energy is from onshore turbines, but the number of offshore turbines is increasing
• The amount of UK electricity generated through hydroelectric power (HEP) has remained the same since 2012
• Less than 0.01% of UK energy is generated through tidal power
• The UK is an island nation and could generate around 20% of its electricity using waves and tides
• The UK government think that 4% of our electricity could come from solar power by 2020
• Exploitation

  When the natural environment is destroyed for its natural resources, eg deforestation as a result of cutting timber
• Economic issues associated with energy exploitation

  • Initial costs (building power stations, dams, wind farms)
  • Maintenance and running costs (buying fuel, repairing damage, disposing of waste products)
• Environmental issues associated with energy exploitation

  • Fossil fuel powered stations create emissions, noise, and waste products
  • Uranium used in nuclear power plants is highly radioactive and the waste products have to be kept away from people indefinitely
  • Renewable energies like wind and solar power can be considered visual pollution
  • Tidal power and HEP dams may affect marine ecosystems