Energy security-Theory Flashcards
3 main ways to classify energy
- Renewable
- Non-renewable
- Recyclable resources
Type of energy and issues with coal
-non-renewable
- Releases large amounts of Co2 contributing to
climate change e.g. 2 billion tonnes from USA
plants per year - Carbon capture technology to remove Co2 is
unproven
Type of energy and issues with natural gas
- Non-renewable
- Releases Co2 on use
- Issues of security of supply
Type of energy and issues with nuclear power
- Non-renewable but recyclable
- Health risks and accidents e.g. Chernobyl
- Disposal of radioactive material an issue
Type of energy and issues with oil
- Non-renewable
- Global supplies may have reached their peak
- Release Co2 when burnt
Type of energy and issues with solar
- Renewable
- Availability varies across the globe
- Expensive compared with fossil fuels
Type of energy and issues with Tidal
- Renewable
- Only certain locations suitable
- Technology for large-scale generation unproven
Type of energy and issues with Tidal
- Renewable
- Only certain locations suitable
-Wind energy is variable so hard to manage power
supply
Type of energy and issues with Biomass
-Renewable
-Acts as a carbon sink so combustion releases
carbon dioxide
-Limited potential for large sale generation
Type of energy and issues with Geothermal
- Renewable
- Availability limited to a few locations e.g. Iceland
Type of energy and issues with Hydro-electrcity
- Renewable and recyclable
- Large scale schemes are expensive
- Dam building creates wide scale flooding
The distribution of HEP around the world
China, Canada,Brazil and USA account for 46% of global total
Distribution of coal around the world
-China produced 41.1% of global
coal in 2007
-USA produces 18.7%
Distribution of wind around the world
Germany world
leader at 23.6% Germany, USA and Spain account for
58% globally
Distribution of natural gas around the world
Russia and USA produce 40% of world’s total
Distribution of oil around the world
-In 2007 the Middle East = 30.8% of oil production
-N. America = 16.5%
Saudi Arabia dominates
production
- 12.6% of world’s
total
-Russia accounts for over ½ of
production for Europe and
Eurasia
Physical reasons why energy supply varies across the globe
Deposits of fossil fuels are only found in a limited number of places
- Solar power needs a large number of days a year with strong sunlight
- Large power stations require flat land and stable foundations
Economic reasons why energy supply varies across the globe
- Onshore deposits of oil and gas are cheaper to develop then offshore deposits
- In poor countries foreign direct investment is essential to develop energy resources
- Most accessible and low cost deposits of fossil fuels are developed first
Political reasons why energy supply varies across the globe
-Countries wanting to develop nuclear power need to gain permission from the
International Atomic Energy Agency
-International agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol can influence energy decisions
-HEP schemes on ‘international’ rivers require the agreement of all countries that share
the river
Energy consumption in developing countries
-Most are struggling to pay for their energy
requirements
-Energy demand is influenced by rate of
economic development and rate of population
growth
- In the world 2 billion people lack access to
household electricity
-Traditional biomass in these countries accounts
for 90% of total energy consumption
Energy consumption in MEDCs
-The USA shows huge demands
for energy resources
-Germany and UK have improved
their energy efficiency resulting
in a modest increase in demand
compared with NICs
Energy consumption in NICs
-China accounts for
1/3rd of the growth in
global oil demand
since 2000
-Demand for oil in
China is expected to
rise by 5-7% year
Reasons why energy across the globe has changed over time
Technological developments - nuclear power only been available since 1954
- Increasing national wealth-incomes increase resulting in increasing use of energy
- Changes in demand -Britain’s trains were powered by coal
-Changes in price -Electricity production in UK switched from coal to gas power stations are
they are cheaper to run
-Environmental factors/public opinion-can influence decisions made by governments
Factors that affect energy security
-Physical – exhaustion of reserves or disruption of supply lines
-Environmental – Protests about environmental change caused by exploitation of energy
resources
- Economic – sudden rises in costs of energy forcing increased imports of higher-priced energy
- Geopolitical – political instability in energy-producing regions
What is the energy security index?
-Measures the energy security of a country
What 3 factors in the ESI based on?
- Availability – the amount of a country’s domestic oil and gas supplies and its level of reliance
on imported resources - Diversity – the range of energy resources used
- Intensity – the degree to which the economy of a country is dependent on oil and gas
- The higher the index, the lower the risk and therefore the greater the energy security
Impacts of geopolitics on energy security
Energy security demands on resource availability, both domestic and foreign, and security of supply.
-It can be affected by geopolitics because there is little excess capacity to ease pressure on energy
supplies if supply becomes disrupted.
For example, following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the Arab
nations reduced the supply of oil to the USA and Western Europe to reduce their support for Israel– this created a serious energy shortage.
-Since then in 1977 the USA construction a ‘Strategic Petroleum Reserve’ with the initial aim to store
1 billion barrels of oil which could be used in the event of supply issues.
Patterns in energy pathways in oil
has a complex global pattern of PATHWAYS and PLAYERS (exporters and importers).
-The Middle East exports around 15 000 barrels per day, mainly to Japan, Europe and CHINA.
- Substantial amounts flow from Africa, Canada and South and Central America TO the USA.
- Russia supplies some oil to CHINA, but the bulk of its exports now head to Europe.
Patterns in energy pathways in gas
-pathways are different in that they tend to be localised and regional rather than global.
Traditionally gas is transported through pipelines, whereas oil has been transported by ship.
- A possible future is that as movement through pipeline becomes less dependable (for political
reasons) ; there will be a switch towards shipping gas in tankers as LNG.