Renewable energy Flashcards
is there an agreed stance on renewable energy options?
no, many different famous people in power all have different say on renewable energy options e.g. lovelock doesn’t favour it too much, Obama thinks its essential etc
what did smalley highlight as humanities top 10 problems for the next 10 years
energy, water, food, envt, poverty, terrorism, war, disease, education, democracy and population
have the top 10 threats canged?
yes, in 2004 the UN said poverty was top.
energy equation
energy=power x time
unit of energy
kilo watt hour. kWh
could what we need be covered sustainably? what are the problems with this realistically?
yes technically
but can’t smoother all land and coastlines
estimated costs for making all energy sustainable and is it achievable
up to £870billion - £14,000 per person
- £340billion of this for solar deserts alone
deffo achievable as gvt is willing to loads on other less important stuff
issues with making all energy renewable
-NIMBY people don’t like solar panels on their roofs
what % of earth needs to be covered by solar panels to provide the world with energy needs
- 02%
- assuming all solar panels are 100% efficient
what % is the area of the Sahara desert of earths surface
- 7% of earths surface
- only need to cover 0.02% of earth to provide renewable energy for all
issues surrounding solar panels in desert
how to link to grid
gvt organisation and collaboration
cost of tech
cost of building etc
is uk an importer or exporter
reliant on importing
what was the electricity usage per person in uk 2016
15kWh
- electricity use not total energy
what % of uk energy came from renewables
25%
about 4kWh per person
is offshore wind cheaper or more expensive that new nuclear
cheaper
how much has coal fallen by in a decade
74%
what are the ups 3 binding targets for emissions reduction
- kyoto protocol - 12.5% cut by 2012, updated for 2020
- 80% cut by 2050
- interim target of 34% cut by 2022
is the uk on track for reducing its carbon budget
no
will consumption per person increase in future?
yes - as countries develop more will use energy - can expect 100kWh per person per year
new energy uses?
- wind from kites
- nuclear fusion
- more nuclear fission
energy storage
- hard to store renewable energy
- batteries expensive, heavy and can’t store for long
- lift a rock the size of footy stadium (hydraulic hydro storage)
what batteries are the future
graphene
how to change our lifestyle
- electric cars, planes
- use bikes
- smart meteres
- less meat
etc
how much less GHG emission does a vegetarian diet have
22% less
how much could we produce from renewables and how much do we use
use - 173kWh/day
need - 177kWh/day
