Key concerns/issues of different energy types

Question 1

(Non-renewable) Coal

Answer 1

Use releases large amounts of CO2 and other pollutants, contributing to climate change and atmospheric pollution.
Carbon capture technology for removing CO2 from atmosphere unproven and complex.

Question 2

(Non-renewable) Natural Gas

Answer 2

Costs and security of supply, especially for countries that are largely importers.
Releases CO2 on use.

Question 3

(Non-renewable) Crude Oil

Answer 3

Concerns that global supplies may have reached their peak, security of supply, geopolitical tensions and lack of alternatives, especially for transport.
Releases CO2 when burnt.

Question 4

(Renewable) Solar Energy

Answer 4

Distribution and availability varies spatially and temporally.
Photovoltaic technology still expensive compared to fossil fuels.

Question 5

(Renewable) Ocean Energy

Answer 5

Only certain locations suitable for offshore tidal generation.
Technology for large scale generation is unproven.
Ocean sources have low energy densities, and large devices are needed to harness this energy.

Question 6

(Recyclable) Biomass

Answer 6

Relatively low energy densities mean limited potential for large scale electricity generation.
Biomass acts as a carbon sink, so combustion releases stored CO2.

Question 7

(Recyclable and renewable) Hydrological Energy

Answer 7

Large scale systems are costly to build.
Dam building also has social, political and environmental impacts.
Smaller micro-hydro plants may not be economically viable.

Question 8

(Renewable) Geothermal Energy

Answer 8

Geothermal heat in the outer 10km of the Earth’s crust is too diffuse to be exploitable world wide.
Availability is limited to a few locations such as Iceland and the Philippines.

Question 9

What are 6 alternative energy sources?

Answer 9

Smart Meters
Transition town
Community Energy
Solar thermal energy
Offshore wind turbines
CHP

Question 10

What are smart meters?

Answer 10

These technologies are the latest range of gas and oil metres
They can be used to save money by cutting down excess use of resources within a household
They can invade your privacy
Installation is expensive

Question 11

What is a transition town?

Answer 11

Transition because it’s moving from high oil dependency to low
Bottom up
Community works together to become less reliable on fossil fuels.
Issue is it’s only a local scale project.
An example of what they do is encourage people to grow their own produce.

Question 12

What is community energy?

Answer 12

Producing energy locally and working collectively
Can be either large or small scale
Supports local economy
Generates employment

Question 13

What is solar thermal energy?

Answer 13

Harnesses solar energy to generate thermal and electric energy.
Could produce up to 11 megawatts.
Renewable
Best in desert countries- space, sunlight- no cloud, hot
Expensive- reliability

Question 14

What are offshore wind turbines?

Answer 14

Generates electricity from kinetic energy from wind:
Advantages:
Consistent offshore winds
Once installed it has a carbon footprint of 0
No fuels need to be mined, transported and burned, with minimal costs for staffing and maintenance.
Reduced environmental impact on birds.

Disadvantages:
Expensive installation costs: greater on land.
Affected by the geographical location of an area, affecting wind speeds.
Unpredictable wind speeds.
Safety issues at night.
Laying cables on sea bed.

Question 15

What is CHP?

Answer 15

CHP is not a technology, but an approach to applying technologies. Heat that is normally wasted in conventional power generation is recovered as useful energy, which avoids the losses that would otherwise be incurred from separate generation of heat and power.

Question 16

Nuclear Power: Pros

Answer 16

Lower carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) released
Low operating costs.
Known, developed technology “ready” for market.
Large power-generating capacity able to meet industrial and city needs
Existing and future nuclear waste can be reduced through waste recycling and reprocessing, similar to Japan and the EU (at added cost).

Question 17

Nuclear Power: Cons

Answer 17

High construction costs 
Subsidies and investment could be spent on other solutions (such as renewable energy systems).
High-known risks in an accident.
Long construction time.
Waste lasts 200 – 500 thousand years.

Question 18

Wind Power: Pros

Answer 18

Clean energy, no fuel to drill, frack, mine, transport or burn
Renewable and sustainable
Costs are relatively low and continue to decrease
Free once set up
Can be used almost anywhere.

Question 19

Wind Power: Cons

Answer 19

Inconsistent, unsteady and unpredictable
Not cheap
Eyesore
Noise
Wildlife impact