2. National & Global Energy Resources

• Renewable Energy

  An energy source that will never run out - the energy can be 'renewed' as it is used
• Renewable Energy Resources :

  • Solar energy
  • Wind
  • Bio-fuel
  • Hydroelectricity
  • Geothermal
  • Tidal
• Renewable Energy - Advantages

  • Will never run out - can be replenished as they are being used
• Renewable Energy - Disadvantages

  • Causes damage to the environment
  • Don't provide much energy
  • Unreliable - depends on the weather
  • Expensive
  • Location - some require a lot of space to build and place
• Non-renewable Energy


  An energy source that will run out and cannot be replaced when they are used up
• Non-renewable Energy Resources :

  • Fossil Fuels - Coal, Oil and Gas
• Non-renewable Energy - Advantages

  • Reliable
  • Easier to produce & use
  • High in energy - provides most of our energy
• Non-renewable Energy - Disadvantages

  • Will run out one day
  • Do a lot of damage to the environment (more than renewable energy)
• Uses of Energy Resources

  • Transport
  • Electricity generation
  • Heating
• Non-renewable Energy Resources

  • Petrol and diesel powered vehicles use fuel created from oil
  • Coal is used in some old-fashioned stream trains to boil water to produce stream
• Renewable Energy Resources

  • Vehicles can also be powered by biofuels - it is a renewable energy resource
• Heating

  Non-renewable energy -> natural gas is mostly used for heating homes in the UK, -> it is used for heating up water which can be pumped around radiators throughout the home

  Renewable energy -> Geothermal heat pump uses geothermal energy resources to heat buildings -> solar water heaters work by using the sun to heat water which is then pumped into radiators in the building
• Fossil Fuels

  Advantages -> reliable, can produce large amounts of energy at fairly short notice

  Disadvantage -> produces significant amounts of greenhouse gases and pollution
• Nuclear

  Advantages -> reliable, produces no greenhouse gases or pollution, large amounts of energy is produced from a small amount of fuel

  Disadvantages -> produces dangerous radioactive waste that can take thousands of years to decay
• Bio-fuels

  Advantages -> non-toxic, biodegradable

  Disadvantages -> can take up a lot of land and consume resources that are needed for food production
• Wind

  Advantages -> produces no greenhouse gases or pollution, land can still be used for farming

  Disadvantages -> not reliable, turbines can be noisy
• Hydroelectric

  Advantages -> reliable, can produce large amounts of energy at short notice, produces no pollution of greenhouse gases

  Disadvantages -> can involve flooding large areas, destroying important wildlife habitats
• Tidal

  Advantages -> tides are very predictable, large amounts of energy can be produced at regular intervals

  Disadvantages -> few suitable locations, can cause environmental damage to estuaries and disrupt shipping
• Geothermal

  Advantages -> reliable, geothermal stations are usually very small

  Disadvantages -> can result in the release of very harmful gases from underground, not many places are suitable
• Solar

  Advantages -> produces no greenhouse gases or pollution, good for producing energy in remote places

  Disadvantages -> not reliable - only works when sunny, solar farms can use up a lot of farmland
• Environmental issues

  Burning fossil fuels is very damaging to the environment, which makes many people want to use more renewable energy resources don't affect the environment
• One way people are using renewable resources is

  By developing electric cars and hybrids as they affect the environment less and are powered by 2 fuels, petrol and electricity
• Ways non-renewable energy has been replaced with renewable energy:

  • Government grants have encouraged the development of wind and solar farms
  • Coal has gradually been replaced with cleaner natural gas
  • New nuclear power stations are being developed - nuclear power is becoming a smaller option
• Issues with the use of renewables :

  • Building new renewable power plants cost money - could have to be paid by customers in their bills, or through the government and taxes
  • Arguments where to place new power plants - many people don't want to be living next to or near a power plant, causing protests
  • Wind power is not reliable as it depends on the weather
  • Research on renewables takes money and time
  • Making personal changes can be expensive like installing solar panels