Carbon EQ2 (6.2)

Question 1

what is an energy mix ?

Answer 1

a country’s different sources of energy. These sources could be from within the country or could be imported and may include primary (energy found in its natural form) and secondary energy (energy converted in to another form)

Question 2

what are the different factors effecting a countries energy security ?

Answer 2

• availability of energy resources within the country and ability to extract them
• accessibility to energy resources outside the country
• energy needs of the country based on population or economic growth
• financial costs

Question 3

what are the two ways of measuring energy consumption ?

Answer 3

1. per capita e.g. as megawatt hours per person

2. energy intensity: calculating the units of energy used per unit of GDP

Question 4

what is energy security ?

Answer 4

a country that imports more energy than it produces has an energy deficit and is energy insecure. A country with surplus energy is energy secure.

Question 5

what are the factors effecting energy consumption in the UK ?

Answer 5

• physical availability such as coal from up north and oil from the north sea. they also export a lot from Norway
• they vary from relying on north sea oil to more middle eastern oil when prices drop
• there are still possibilities for extraction of fossil fuels however there is not enough technology to extract it
• there has been increased political concern over things such as fracking and nuclear sites which effects consumption
• there has been a greener approach such as a commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions by 40% before 2030

Question 6

what are energy pathways ?

Answer 6

the route taken by energy from its source to its point of consumption. This involves extraction, transport and if it is converted in to other forms. The main energy pathways are overland pipelines, container ships and underwater cables.

Question 7

what are the main global energy players ?

Answer 7

• TNCs such as Gazprom and PetroChina are involved in most operations such as exploring, extracting and transporting of energy. They also play a big part in setting energy prices.
• OPEC is a group of 12 countries who control 2/3 of the worlds oil and gas
• consumers have little impact on energy but are still a player
• governments are in charge of national energy security and can influence the sourcing of energy. Also a lot of energy TNCs are state owned.

Question 8

what are chokepoints ?

Answer 8

a narrow channel or convergence where key transport routes can be easily disrupted

Question 9

what are some examples of choke points ?

Answer 9

• strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Singapore has had piracy attacks where ships with oil and gas are taken hostage
• in the UK stormy weather damaged oil pipelines
• politics such as jihadist fighters in Qatar and Saudi Arabia effect pipeline flows

Question 10

what is the Trans Siberian pipeline ?

Answer 10

it is a major gas pipeline which goes from Western Ukraine to central and western European countries.It carries gas for major TNCs such as Gazprom.

Question 11

what are some of the geopolitical issues with the Trans Siberian pipeline ?

Answer 11

There where originally political issues with it being built as the Reagan administration was against soviet Russia building it. Also the pipelines go over the Crimea border which is currently under dispute and this could pose threats to the transportation of the gas.

Question 12

what are the different unconventional fossil fuels ?

Answer 12

• deep water oil is drilling beneath the sea bed to gain oil and it can be very expensive and difficult
• tar sands involves releasing Bitumen from sediment and water. This involves digging up the sand and using heat to release pure Bitumen
• shale gas (Fracking) involves pumping a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to gain trapped gas
• oil shale involves pumping out oil from permeable rocks

Question 13

what are the positives and negatives of deep water oil ?

Answer 13

+ technological advancements have made it safer e.g. robots that can stop spills in 45 seconds
-major oil spills such as the gulf of Mexico spill which caused huge damage to the environment

Question 14

what are the positives and negatives of tar sands ?

Answer 14

+ huge wealth and investments are created from tar sand fields such as the one in Canada
+ helps meet the worlds demands for energy
-releases 3 times as much gas as normal oil
-deforestation and mass destruction of habitats to create the tar fields
-they use other fossil fuels to release the Bitumen
-leaves contaminated water

Question 15

what are the positives and negatives of oil shale ?

Answer 15

+it is an alternative way of freeing up oil
+it can reep economic rewards for the local area
-can create earthquakes and subsidence of earth around it

Question 16

what are the positives and negatives of shale gas ?

Answer 16

+the drilling can reduce impact compared to mining
+carbon footprint of gas is half that of carbon
-many drill sites are needed due tot he dispersion of gas
-it is still a fossil fuel that releases carbon when burnt

Question 17

what are some examples around the world of the different unconventional fossil fuels ?

Answer 17

• Gulf of Mexico is the largest deep water oil location with 63 oil plants
• Canada has one of the biggest tar sands in the world
• fracking is done all over the UK as it is govt. policy
• The USA now uses more gas than oil due to shale gas

Question 18

what are some of the conflicting views of those harnessing unconventional fossil fuels ?

Answer 18

• exploration companies are keen to see good financial returns on their exploratory work
• TNCs will not want their investments in conventional fossil fuels to be threatened
• different govts. will have different views: some will be more environmentally conscious and others will care more about the financial rewards
• environmental groups will be against these techniques
• locals may be for them due to the creation of jobs and economic benefits but also against therm for environmental harm to the local area e.g tap water lighting on fire

Question 19

what are the costs and benefits of nuclear energy ?

Answer 19

-leakages can be incredibly dangerous and could mean evacuation e.g Fukushima
-still more expensive than fossil fuels
+doesn’t release greenhouse gasses
can create a cleaner atmosphere and still creates jobs
+economical as the nuclear waste can be reclycled

Question 20

what are the costs and benefits of solar energy ?

Answer 20

-toxic cells are needed to make solar cells
-large parts of land needed to set up the solar farms
-they are weather dependant
-difficult and expensive to store the solar energy
+can deliver energy to off the grid places
+low maintenance costs

Question 21

what are the costs and benefits of wind energy ?

Answer 21

-it relies on the weather so isn’t as reliable as fossil fuels
-may cause noise and aesthetic pollution
-high initial investment costs and expensive to maintain if at sea
+only uses up a bit of land so doesn’t take up much space
+very cost effective

Question 22

how has the UK’s energy consumption patterns changed ?

Answer 22

there hasn’t been much change in their pattern however coal and oil use have decreased since the 70’s with natural gas increasing. However the UK have overall become more efficient in using energy with a net decrease.

Question 23

what are biofuels ?

Answer 23

fuels made from the fermentation of organic matter and are used a s a liquid in vehicles.

Question 24

what are the strengths and weaknesses of biofuels ?

Answer 24

+they are renewable as plants can be replanted however the crops must be managed sustainably
+they are carbon neutral as they release CO2 when burnt but the crops absorbed it in the first place
-deforestation which can lead to a loss of biodiversity of crops
-less crops for food

Question 25

How have Brazil made moves to increased biofuel use ?

Answer 25

90% of vehicles now sold in Brazil have engines which accept a mixture of petrol and ethanol which means much cleaner air. However this has led to large deforestation in the Amazon for crops and so there are questions as to how sustainable this approach is.

Question 26

what are some of the radical energy solutions ?

Answer 26

• carbon capture and storage involves capturing CO2 that is from released fossil fuels and then burying it deep underground
• hydrogen fuel cells and electric cars
• nuclear fusion is joining two nuclei together to generate huge amounts of electricity however this is still being developed
• nanotechnology tries to use small particles to recreate photosynthesis

Question 27

what are the strengths and weaknesses of hydrogen fuel cells ?

Answer 27

+produces only water as a byproduct
+it is very fast to fill up a car with and last much longer
-expensive to store and transport
-hydrogen isn’t found in a pure form and it needs energy to separate it

Question 28

what are the strengths and weaknesses of electric cars ?

Answer 28

+batteries are recyclable
+overall much less greenhouse gas emissions compared to petrol cars
+improves local air quality
-manufacturing still provides carbon emissions
-not enough infrastructure to support it e.g charging stations
-takes a while to charge

Question 29

what are the strengths and weaknesses carbon capture and storage ?

Answer 29

+no CO2 emissions as it is captured

• still uses fossil fuels which aren’t renewable
• we don’t know if there are problems with pumping CO2 underground
• transportation of the CO2 uses energy and money

Question 30

why is nuclear fusion an exciting concept for energy production ?

Answer 30

it can create huge amounts of energy using common elements which don’t have to be nuclear. However there is still a lot of research to do to produce energy from it.