Carbon- Enquiry Question 2 Flashcards
What factors affect energy consumption?
Physical Availability
Technology
Cost
Climate
Economic Development
Environmental Priorities
What factors affect the energy mix of a country?
The energy needs of a country
Cultural and historical legacies and geopolitical links
Changing consumption patterns linked to population and economic growth
National and regional policies
Accessibility of primary resources
Availability of primary resources domestically
Financial costs
What is primary energy?
Natural energy resources that have not been converted into another from of energy
What is secondary energy?
Refers to what the primary source had been converted into
What is the UK energy mix?
Coal and Oil - 1%
Natural Gas - 38%
Wind - 20%
Biomass - 12%
Solar - 6%
Nuclear - 19%
What is the energy security definition?
Access to reliable and affordable energy resources, either domestically or from friendly overseas countries
Examples of energy players?
Energy companies
Consumer
Governments
TNCs
OPEC
What is an energy pathway?
Describes the flow of energy between a producer and a consumer eg ship or railways
Threats to energy pathways, what are they?
Natural obstacles eg vast distances
Weather / natural hazards
Militant action including piracy
Political tensions and disagreements
What are unconventional fossil fuels?
Unconventional fossil fuels are fuels that are produces using different methods than those used as conventional fossil fuels
Why are unconventional fossil fuels used?
Peak oil becomes an increasing threat
Cost of fossil fuels are increasing
Fossil fuels are finite
Examples of unconventional fossil fuels?
Tar sands in Canada
Shale Gas in the USA
Deep water oil in Brazil
What are biofuels?
Fuels derived from living matter eg agricultural crops, forestry or fishery products and various forms of waste
What is a primary biofuel? Examples?
Fuelwood, woodchips and pellets and other organic material used in unprocessed form primarily for heating, cooking or electricity generation
What is a secondary biofuel?
Derived from the processing of biomass and include liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel which can be used by vehicles and in industrial processes
Advantages of biofuels?
Lower CO2 emissions for the economy
Supposedly carbon neutral
Disadvantages of biofuels?
Less space for food production
Increased deforestation
High Wastage
Displacement of cattle ranches
Carbon neutrality questionable
What are radical technologies?
New approaches using state of the art technology which aim to reduce co2 emissions in the near future
Examples of radical technologies?
Electric cars, hydrogen fuel cells, carbon capture and storage
Advantages of a hydrogen fuel cell?
It’s not going to run out
Produces no pollution - if renewables are used
Could reduce dependence on fossil fuels for transport
Disadvantages of fuel cells?
Requires a large amount of energy to separate the elements
Water Vapour is considered a greenhouse gas, so an increase in water vapour could lead to an increase in temperatures
If renewable sources aren’t available then fossil fuels may be needed to separate the different elements
Advantages of electric cars?
Cheaper to run a petrol / diesel car
Produces no pollution
Could reduce dependence on fossil fuels for transport
Massively reduced noise pollution compared to a petrol / diesel car
Disadvantages of electric cars?
Expensive to buy due to the technology
Charging times are improving but can take a while for a full charge
The quietness could be a hazard to pedestrians
The ‘greenness’ of an electric vehicle depends on the energy profile of the country eg: using renewables or non renewables for charging.
What is carbon capture and storage (CCS)?
A system that collects CO2 emissions from fixed points such as power plants, then transports the Gad and injects ir into a suitable geological structure ( over 800m below ground ).
