Sustainable Energy

Question 1

At current levels of consumption, what are the resource/ production (R/P) ratios for:i) Coalii) Gasiii) Oil

Answer 1

i) Coal - 200 yearsii) Gas - 60 yearsiii) Oil - 40 years

Question 2

Where are natural resources geographically concentrated?

Answer 2

Middle East and North Africa control 70% of oil and gas supplies

Question 3

What are the environmental adverse consequences of fossil fuel consumption?

Answer 3

Air and water pollutionCoal-mining accidentsFiresExplosionsTanker Accidents (Exxon Valdez)

Question 4

What have scientists largely concluded about climate change?

Answer 4

Anthropogenically caused

Question 5

What are non-renewable energy sources?

Answer 5

Finite, stock or capital resources, which have built up over millions of years. Cannot be used without depleting the stock as their ratio of formation is so slow. Nuclear fission is also non-renewable, as uranium, though incredibly efficient, is finite.

Question 6

What are renewable energy sources?

Answer 6

• Flow or income resources- Yield a continuous flow that can be consumed at any given time without endangering future consumption

Question 7

What are the two sub-divisions of renewable resource?

Answer 7

Critical resourcesNon-critical resources

Question 8

What is a critical resource?

Answer 8

Recycleable, and therefore sustainable. Energy resources from forests, plants and animal waste. Nuclear power is also recycleable if fusion is the process of emission. Carbon dioxide emitted from biofuels are reabsorbed back into existing carbon sinks, making the resource carbon neutral

Question 9

What is a non-critical resource?

Answer 9

Infinite resources - tidal, waves, HEP, wind and solar - no emissions, no direct contribution to global warming

Question 10

What do:i) Crude oilii) coaliii) Natural gasiv) nuclear fissionv) biomassContribute towards global energy supply (as of 2010)

Answer 10

i) 33%ii) 29%iii) 23%iv) 6%v) 4%

Question 11

What were the price fluctuations of oil in 2007-2008?

Answer 11

from $40 per barrel to $140/ br.

Question 12

What new sources of oil are becoming viable given the higher price demanded?

Answer 12

• Tar Sands (Athabasca)- Oil shales (Utah, USA)- Deep-water locations (Brazil, Gulf of Mexico)- Environmentally Sensitive Areas - Alaska

Question 13

The time of reaching Peak Oil is disputed: What are the varying interpretations of Peak Oil?

Answer 13

• 2007 - German energy watch group claimed PO in 2006- 2008 Industry Task Force on Peak Oil and Energy Security suggested 2013 as a key date- 2006 - IMF predicted predicted oil production to rise to 120 million barrels per day by 2030 with no peak reached

Question 14

What are the pros and cons of coal?

Answer 14

Highly mechanised open cast mining in lignite mines (i.e. Kentucky, USA) have the lowest economic cost, but one of the highest environmental damage levels.

Question 15

What are the issues faced by nuclear power?

Answer 15

• Stations take 10 years to develop, in order to meet health and safety requirements, and of the 439 nuclear power stations globally, only 34 were developed in the 1990s = many will need to be decommissioned, creating a massive energy gap- The output of one standard factory can be equivalent to 600 large wind turbines

Question 16

What are the concerns around wind energy

Answer 16

• Environmental cost of production not offset by output- Fiercly opposed by residents - nimbyism - Dependence will be stressed on bigger offshore wind farms like Horns Rev in the North Sea

Question 17

What are the pros and cons of HEP?

Answer 17

• Cost-wise, quite justifiable: multifunctional - preventing floods, providing water and supplying power. - Contrastingly, cases like the Omo Dam in Ethiopia shows how controversial HEP is - the dam will threaten tribal cultures, and will add to water problems in Turkana and northern Kenya

Question 18

What are the pros and cons of solar power?

Answer 18

• Viable alternative - China and India investing billions in improving the efficiency of PV cells- Like HEP, many of the sites will be remote, and will require high cost and ugly transmission lines

Question 19

How could coal be made clean?

Answer 19

The use of carbon capture and storage (CCS), geo-sequestration and mineral storage are solutions to CO2 emission

Question 20

What is the criteria for achieving energy security?

Answer 20

• Making the greatest possible use of domestic energy sources - even at higher economic and environmental costs (USA)- Diversifying energy sources- Ensuring guarantees on energy imported with safe pathways to maintain stable prices. - Regulation of private energy firms

Question 21

Name a contemporary issue surrounding energy security

Answer 21

• Russia’s dispute of gas prices in Ukraine, 2008, and Belarus, 2009, which disrupted the flow of gas and oil to Europe- Piracy- Somalia

Question 22

What is the energy development gap?

Answer 22

In LDCs, particularly rural areas, 2.5 million people rely on biomass such as fuelwood Fuel efficient stoves (such as the Jiko) and more energy intensive green charcoal pellets, alongside afforestation schemes, could improve the situation

Question 23

What factors contribute to a growing demand for energy?

Answer 23

• Economic growth. Economic growth depends on energy: this is true especially of NICs such as China, which is growing at 10% per year- Emergence of the middle class: the middle class consume more energy in pursuit of a more comfortable lifestyle (for instance, Brazil)- Labour saving devices: consume energy and provide the middle class with more leisure time, which often requires energy - automotives become lucrative; 1.4 billion Chinese have discovered the freedom afforded by car trips- Modern cities: Low density, relying on automotive travel- Growing international tourism and trade: increasing eco-footprint

Question 24

What are the three ways in which energy can be managed sustainably?

Answer 24

• Cleaning up fossil and nuclear fuels- Switching to nuclear or appropriate technologies- Using energy more efficiently by developing conservation stategies

Question 25

How is carbon sequestration achieved?

Answer 25

• growing additional trees, for biofuels or leguminous function- Injecting carbon dioxide into the ocean- Injection into unminable coal reserves

Question 26

How can desulpherisation be achieved?

Answer 26

Scrubbing output gas

Question 27

Where is Carbon capture and storage in use?

Answer 27

Germany

Question 28

What are the limitations of first generation biofuels?

Answer 28

• Although theoretically carbon neutral, energy from planting, harvesting and processing detracts from the equation of output=input- Takes from land where cereal growth is possible- Palm oil harvesting encroaches

Question 29

What are second and third generation biofuels?

Answer 29

2nd Gen - brushwood and trees3rd Gen - algae

Question 30

Why is nuclear power controversial?

Answer 30

• Waste takes millions of years