6.6 alternatives to fossil fuels

Question 1

A ) renewable energy sources

Answer 1

• wind
• solar
• hydro
• geothermal
  etc.

the contribution made by these sources to the national energy budget varies from country to country based on geographical, economic, social and environmental reasons.

Question 2

A ) wind and solar energy

Answer 2

:D
cost effective
clean energy- no CO2 emissions during production- reduces our dependency on fossil fuels
low maintenance
creation of jobs

:(
UNRELIABLE!!! (both depend on weather conditions: no solar energy will be produced during the night or in daytime conditions where there is no sun)
can’t respond to power surges
EXPENSIVE technology to initially develop
not as efficient as other alternatives
environmental impacts

UK in 2020:
24% of total electricity generation was wind power
5% was solar

Question 3

A ) Hydro

Answer 3

:D
cost effective (once in operation)
reliable and constant
emits no CO2 during production- very low indirect emissions
promotes development
creates job opportunities
recreational uses

:(
expensive to build (Italpu Dam in Brazil took 18th so and cost $18 BILLION)
high maintenance
huge amounts of people displaced/ communities lost
destruction of wildlife due to flooding
pollutes water quality

UK in 2018:
2.2% of total electricity generation was hydropower mainly due to physical geography/ opportunity - in Norway hydropower accounts for 95% of total generation

Question 4

A ) Nuclear (recyclable)

Answer 4

:D
low operational costs
reliable and constant
high energy density (8000x more than fossil fuel plants)
lack of CO2 emissions

:(
destructive of mining for FINITE resources but these resources have longevity
high constructive costs
hazardous radioactive waste with long decay life (requires facilities to be disposed of safely)
negative public perceptions due to past disasters

in UK in 2021:
15% of total electricity generation was nuclear
HINKLEY POINT: will create 25,000 jobs, will produce for next 60 years

Question 5

B ) Biofuels

Answer 5

the growing of biofuel crops is being increasingly recognised as one way of reducing both the burning of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions. New biofuels are being used as a fuel (eg in power stations for the generation of electricity)

:D
easily grown: specialist tech not needed
provides rural investment (positive multiplier effect)

:(
they are supposedly carbon neutral since the CO2 they produce when burnt is only what they took from the environment when growing:
however large areas of forest are often cleared to make space which increases the CO2 emissions from deforestation)
takes away investment from food production (pot. leads to food shortages)

Question 6

B ) c/s biofuels in Brazil

Answer 6

since 1970s Brazil has taken steps to diversify and improve its energy security… more recently it’s added biofuels to its mix.

• less than 5% of Brazils energy comes from renewable sources but 90% of new passenger vehicles sold in the country have flex fuel engines that work using any combo of petrol and ethanol which has led to a significant reduction in carbon emissions

:(
large areas of Brazil have been set aside for cultivation of sugar cane but the result has been
!!!!displacement of other agriculture types!!!!
the need to find replacement pastures has led to large scale deforestation of the Amazon (this has nullified the reduction in CO2 that came with increasing the use of ethanol)

Question 7

C ) carbon capture and storage

Answer 7

involves capturing of CO2 released by fossil fuels and burying it deep underground (uncertain whether it will slowly leak back to the surface)

has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 19% but currently not financially viable due to complex technology needed

(example: Boundary Dam in Canada)

Question 8

C ) hydrogen fuel cells and electric cars

Answer 8

combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity heat and water: they are a promising technology for use of heat and electricity for buildings and as a power source for electric vehicles.

however there is a lack of infrastructure currently for things like hydrogen cars to become widespread

another challenge is finding a cheap and easy source of hydrogen

(electric cars are another solution: 8.5% of all car sales in 2021 were electric BUT huge!!! material consequences are an issue that cannot be ignored)