Energy Challenges and Dilemmas

• Classification of energy resources

  Non-renewable

  Renewable
• Reserve


  Proportion of a resource that can be exploited under current economic conditions
• Recoverable


  Reserves refer to the amount of an energy resource likely to be extracted for commercial use
• Global distribution of fossil fuel stocks and reserves

  Coal- USA largest single reserve holder

  Natural gas- Russia Federation and in Iran

  Oil- USA world's largest oil producer, greatest concentration of recoverable reserves=venezuala
• Alternatives to conventional fossil fuel sources

  Horizontal drilling

  Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)

  Tar sands

  Deepwater oil
• Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)


  Technique designed to recover gas from shale rock reserves found 1000-4000m below the ground surface
• Tar sands (oil sands)


  Combination of clay, sand, water and bitumen
• Deepwater oil


  Found well offshore and at deep ocean depths
• Physical factors determining the supply of energy

  Geological factors

  Climatic factors

  Relief factors

  Locations with favourable conditions for sustainable energy generation
• Geological factors


  Influence the location of active areas for geothermal energy

  E.g. 87% of Iceland's demand for hot water and heat comes from geothermal energy
• Climatic factors


  Solar power require high isolation rates; wind power relies on high, constant wind speeds characteristics of areas affected by westerly wind belts; and hydropower is usually linked to areas of precipitation
• Relief factors


  Deep, narrow valleys of the west slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California provide sites for dams and reservoirs

  Relief= important for proving a head of water (stored and released to drive turbines and generate hydropower)
• Locations with favourable conditions for sustainable energy generation

  Tidal power- estuaries with a very large tidal range e.g. river Severn
• Changing demand for energy

  Global patterns

  Economic factors

  Demographic and social factors

  Technological factors
• Energy demand


  The need or desire for energy
• Energy consumption


  The availability and use of energy
• BRICS


  Acronym for a newly industrialised emerging economy:

  Brazil

  Russia

  India

  China

  South Africa
• MINT


  Acronym referring to the more recently emerging economies of Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.
• NIC


  Acronym for a newly industrialised country
• Changing global patterns for energy demand

  By 2020, energy consumption is expected to double the level in 1980

  Demand driven by:

  Population growth

  Economic development

  Increased living standards

  By 2030's India is predicted to emerge as the worlds largest growth market for energy
• Economic factors influencing demand for energy

  Strong positive correlation between GNI per capita and energy usage- China experienced economic growth of 10% per year

  Industries such as steel, plastics depend on energy for heating and cooling
• Demographic and social factors influencing demand for energy

  As people become wealthier= growing demand for appliances for cooking, air conditioning and lighting

  USA uses as much electricity to keep buildings cool as the whole of Africa uses for everything

  60% of growth in expected energy consumption is directly related to urban sprawl
• Urban sprawl


  Spread of population away from central urban areas into low-density, often communities in a process calle daub urbanisation
• Technological factors influencing the demand for energy

  Most rapidly growing area of demand is for electricity to support the massive servers belonging to organisations such as Microsoft

  Number of electronic devices owned in the wolrd increases daily
• The global management of oil and gas


  Managing supply and demand though transfers, storage and pricing

  Management by MNC's and national gov

  Management of oil supplies by OPEC an national gov
• Problems associated with extraction, transport and use of energy


  Environmental

  Political

  Technological

  Economic
• Managing supply and demand through transfers, storage and pricing

  Oil production declined due to over exploitation

  Tech developments= enable oil and gas exploration to be taken place in extreme environments

  Transferred through pipelines or converted into liquid form and by tankers

  Reduction in oil supply= increase in oil price

  Stored for strategic reasons

  Global storage capacity= 7-8 billion barrels- concentrated in global trading hubs e.g. Singapore

  USA= largest strategic oil reserves in the world
• Management by MNC's and National gov

  Oil and gas industries divided into 3:

  Upstream (exploration and production)

  Midstream (storing, marketing and transportation)

  Downstream (distributions and retailing)

  MNC's important players in oil and gas industries (mid and down stream operations)- high degree of influence and strong presence
• Management of oil supplies by OPEC and national gov

  OPEC: responsible for 40% of the worlds oil production/ owns over 80% of the worlds proven oil reserves

  - coordinate and unify the policies of its member countries and ensure the stabilisation of oil markets in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply
• Environmental problems


  Underground coal mines lead to surface subsidence= toxic waste and water

  Open cast pits= scar the landscape

  Oil infrastructure= visually pollutants the area

  Transfer of energy—> oil spills= ecologically disastrous e.g. Exxon Valdez (1989)- 3 decades later oil still to be found

  Burning fossil fuels= increase in carbon output, contributing to climate change
• Renewable energy problems


  Wind farms- visually polluting, bird deaths

  Hydropower- drown vegetation

  Nuclear power- Chernobyl (1986)
• Political problems


  Unstable suppliers- Libya, Iran and Iraq

  Volatile pathways- Russia and Ukraine

  Public protest such as anti-fracking campaigns delayed extraction of shale gas in the UK
• Tech problems


  National grids unstable= wind and solar produce electricity intermittently

  Only most developed countries have research facilities to develop new technologies

  Carbon-capture tech for removing CO2= unproven and complex
• Economic problems


  Fossil fields are finite

  Alternative energy sources need investment in research and development

  Construction costs for the new generation nuclear plant at Hinckley point in Somerset estimated to be £20 billion

  Oceans energy potential yet to be developed- low densities= large number of devices needed to harness this energy

  Hydropower may be cheap but expensive infrastructure- e.g. china Three Gorges Dam, US$25 billion
• Energy mixes and development

  Local scale- sustainable energy micro generation

  National scale- energy mix of diff countries

  Economic and political factors affecting world energy prices and mix
• Micro regeneration


  Small-scale systems that generate electricity and/or heat for domestic dwellings and small businesses
• Energy mix


  Combinations of energy sources used to meet a country's energy demand
• Local scale- sustainable energy micro regeneration

  Limited economic and infrastructural resources in developing countries= extension of national grid is slow

  World Bank- 89 million people in Africa and Asia own at least one solar-powered product

  By 2020 15 million off-grip households are predicted to have solar-powered TVs
• National scale- energy mix of different countries

  Rural areas of LIC's energy consumption is low- based on burning fuel wood

  As economies developed, increasing manufacturing, rapid urbanisation and rising living standards= growing enegry demand
• Sweden energy mix


  Intensive due to broad manufacturing

  High living standards

  One of the lowest carbon economies of all OECD countries: 92% of electricity is generated from renewables

  Greater efficiency deduced demand per capita and lowered costs

  Aims to achieve fossil fuel independent buy 2030