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Making Geographical Decisions > Consuming Energy Resources > Flashcards

Consuming Energy Resources Flashcards

1
Q

What are the three types of energy and how can they be defined?

A

Renewable
- This energy source can be used over and over, since there isn’t a limit to the supply of materials or force- e.g solar power

Non-renewable
- Once used, this energy source can’t be reused, so the amount of fuel is limited- e.g coal, oil & gas

Recyclable
- Energy is provided from sources that can be recycled, so even though the amount of fuel is limited, more can be grown or made- e.g biofuels

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2
Q

What are fossil fuels and their pros & cons?

A
  • Fuels that take thousands of years to form underground from dead vegetation and animals, such as coal, oil and gas

PROS:
- cheap to mine
- in high demand as they’re a reliable source of energy

CONS:
- Release pollutants which contribute to global warming
- Non-renewable, so limited supply of coal

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3
Q

What is nuclear energy and its pros & cons?

A
  • Using uranium through nuclear fission to produce energy

PROS:
- very reliable source of energy

CONS:
- Risk of radiation poisoning if uncontrolled
- Any waste must be sealed in concrete or glass and left underground for hundreds of years
- When a power station is finished energy production, its expensive to decommission

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4
Q

What is solar power and its pros & cons?

A
  • Panels that convert the sun’s energy into electricity

PROS:
- Costs are decreasing rapidly
- Large potential in desert areas

CONS:
- Not very efficient yet
- Effectiveness dependent on climate, time of year and day

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5
Q

What is wind power and its pros & cons?

A
  • Wind drives large turbines and generators that produce energy

PROS:
- Low running costs
- Can be used year round
- Plenty of suitable sites

CONS:
- Bird life can be affected
- Weather dependent

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6
Q

What is wave power and its pros & cons?

A
  • Waves force a turbine to rotate and produce energy

PROS:
- Produce most electricity during winter when demand is highest
- Pioneer projects are commencing across the globe

CONS:
- Very expensive and a ‘perfect’ solution is yet to be created
- Needs to survive storms

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7
Q

What is tidal power and its pros & cons?

A
  • Incoming tides drive turbines in a similar way to hydropower

PROS:
- Has significant potential
- Reliable source of energy once installed

CONS:
- Very expensive
- Few schemes currently operating in the world
- Impact on marine life

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8
Q

What is Hydroelectric power/ HEP and its pros & cons?

A
  • Water from a reservoir pushes turbines built within a dam as it escapes downstream

PROS:
- Dams built for reservoirs can also generate electricity, improving clean water and energy supplies

CONS:
- Large dams are expensive to build
- Disrupts fish migration along the river

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9
Q

What is biofuel and its pros & cons?

A
  • Vegetation and food waste can be burned for fuel

PROS:
- Cheap and easy to find
- Biofuel is a renewable alternative to oil, which doesn’t require car engines to be modified

CONS:
- Vegetation must be found sustainably, so land shouldn’t be cleared for biofuels

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10
Q

What is geothermal energy and its pros & cons?

A
  • Water is pumped beneath the ground to hot areas, and the steam from the water drives turbines to produce electricity

PROS:
- Low maintenance cost

CONS:
- High installation cost
- Risk of earthquakes

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11
Q

What are some inequalities between countries relating to electricity?

A
  • The richest, most developed countries consume more energy than poorer, less developed countries
  • Not all countries have a source of energy- such as Chad, which has no fossil fuels and few bodies of water
  • Fossil fuels tend to be cheaper and easier to source than renewable sources
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12
Q

What is energy surplus?

A
  • When the energy supply exceeds demand
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13
Q

What is energy deficit?

A
  • When energy supply is less than demand
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14
Q

What countries have an energy surplus and why?

A

Russia
- Large natural gas and oil fields
- Many nuclear plants

Middle East
(Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait)
- These countries have 100 billion barrels of oil to be extracted

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15
Q

What countries have an energy deficit and why?

A

Western Europe
- The Uk largely used up its supply of coal during the mining era

Asia
- Rapidly growing population means rapid demand outweighs supply

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16
Q

What does energy security also depend on?

A
  • Ownership of power stations and mines within a country, as sometimes a country can be too poor or lacking in technology to exploit its own energy sources
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17
Q

What can TNCS help a country to do, and whats an example of this happening?

A
  • Shell (a Dutch owned company) has subsidiaries in Nigeria and accounts for over 21% of Nigeria’s oil production
18
Q

What are the benefits of nuclear energy?

A
  • Reliable source of constant energy since nuclear fission is a constant process
  • Uranium fuel is extremely concentrated so only small mining sites are required to fuel the power plant
  • The nuclear industry creates many employment opportunities
19
Q

What are the negative impacts of power stations and energy generators?

A
  • Visually polluting
  • Wind turbines and solar panels are especially unattractive as they stick out from natural surroundings
20
Q

What are the negative impacts of mining?

A
  • Damages landscape and many habitats must be cleared to make room for the mine
  • Also space is needed for waste rubble and transport to take coal away
  • Open cast mines are especially damaging
21
Q

What are the negative impacts of oil spills?

A
  • Can be frequent and are toxic to wildlife
  • Difficult to contain as oil spreads quickly in water
  • Many marine animals can die and sea birds can become unable to fly
22
Q

What are the human factors that affect energy supply?

A
  • Government policies
  • Conflict
  • Country development
23
Q

What are the physical factors that affect energy supply?

A
  • Access to fuels
  • Climate
  • Geographical location
  • Morphology (shape of the land)
24
Q

What are the economic factors that affect energy supply?

A
  • Costs involved in using an energy source
25
Q

How do government policies affect energy supply?

A
  • Affects which types of energy can and cant be used
  • Germany decided to stop using nuclear power, which put pressure on their other energy supplies
26
Q

How does conflict affect energy supply?

A
  • It can prevent energy sources from being extracted
  • Conflict in Iraq stopped oil production which impacted the price of oil in global markets
27
Q

How does the development of a country affect energy supply?

A
  • Development affects technology available
  • Some energy sources are difficult to extract, or power stations require high tech monitoring
  • This means countries with low levels of technology cant use some energy sources, such as nuclear energy
28
Q

How does a countries ability to access fuels affect their energy supply?

A
  • Not all countries have access to all sources of energy
  • Fossil fuels can only be found for specific geology types- either sedimentary rock or natural gas/oil has become trapped in rocks
  • Geothermal energy can only be produced near magma plumes, which are only found near tectonic boundaries
29
Q

How can climate affect energy supply?

A
  • It can impact the efficiency of renewable sources
  • Rainy climates are unsuitable for solar panels, as solar energy relies on limited cloud cover
  • Not all countries have strong enough wind for wind turbines
30
Q

How can the geographical location and morphology of a country affect its energy supply?

A
  • For a country to use tidal energy, it has to have coasts, so can’t be landlocked
  • Shape of the land (morphology) is important for HEP, as it requires dams to be built in mountainous areas
31
Q

How can costs affect energy supply?

A
  • Cost could be too great for a country and make electricity generate unaffordable for population
32
Q

How can cost be added to an energy source?

A
  • Extraction of energy can require specialist equipment or high pressure
  • The energy source is dangerous so wages for workers must be higher to compensate for risk
  • Transportation of energy sources from mining to processing can require long distances of pipelines or lots of freight ships, which are expensive
33
Q

What examples of dangerous or risky environments are being exploited for oil?

A
  • Miners have to drill deeper to find coal and oil- this increases the risk of earthquakes, mines collapsing or high-pressure ruptures in the rock which can lead to oil escaping
  • Energy sources in hostile environments- there are many reserves of oil in the Middle East, but militant groups occupy some of these areas, so workers are at a high risk of being captured or injured
  • Fossil fuel stores in fragile environments such as the Amazon
34
Q

What is shale gas and how is it extracted?

A
  • Unconventional fossil fuel
  • Extracted through fracking
35
Q

How is fracking done?

A
  • Water, chemicals and sand are pumped into ground to break up shale, access hydrocarbons and force them to the surface
36
Q

What are the benefits of fracking?

A
  • Shale gas produces half the emissions of coal, so using it would reduce global emissions
  • The majority of shale gas is found in the US, which would improve the US’ economy
37
Q

What are the cons of fracking?

A
  • Fracking faces large environmental opposition because it can trigger minor tremors
  • Shale gas is still more expensive to produce than conventional gas#
  • Earthquakes of a low magnitude may occur, but they’re not normally strong enough to pose a risk to humans
38
Q

Why are companies extracting deep water oil?

A
  • Oil supplies are decreasing so companies have to extract it from deeper underwater
39
Q

What are the advantages of deep water oil?

A
  • Most engines use oil, so its easy to sell, and consumers don’t need to change their vehicle to use it
  • Jobs working on oil rigs are high paid, offering locals a good wage
40
Q

What are the disadvantages of deep water oil?

A
  • More hazardous to extract, so workers are at risk of death and injury
  • Risky to extract oil from deeper underground, and can lead to small earthquakes or more frequent oil spills

Making Geographical Decisions (4 decks)

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