Unit 12 - Essays - One Electricity Scheme Flashcards
Evaluate the Success of Norway’s Hydroelectric Power Scheme in Meeting Changes in Demand for Power
Main Body Paragraphs
- Hydroelectric Power’s Role in Norway’s Energy System
Key Points:
Hydropower accounts for about 95% of Norway’s electricity.
Flexibility of hydroelectric plants, especially in terms of adjusting power generation to fluctuating demand.
Example: Winter demand peaks and how hydropower responds.
Compare with fossil fuel-based systems.
- Spatial Variation and Regional Demand
Key Points:
Norway’s hydropower plants are primarily located in rural, mountainous regions.
High-demand areas (e.g., Oslo, Bergen) are well-connected via an efficient national grid.
Integration with neighboring countries (e.g., Sweden, Denmark) allows for power imports and exports.
Regional balance in electricity distribution, especially during high-demand periods.
- Seasonal Demand Fluctuations and
Hydropower’s Seasonal Flexibility
Key Points:
Seasonal variations in demand, with peaks in winter for heating.
The system’s ability to store water during low-demand months (summer) and release it during high-demand periods (winter).
Statistical evidence: Hydropower providing up to 98% of electricity in winter months (2023).
Importance of seasonal planning and reservoir management.
- Technological Innovations and Grid Management
Key Points:
Use of advanced forecasting systems to predict demand and adjust power generation accordingly.
Pumped storage hydroelectricity (PSH) as a key technology for managing short-term demand spikes.
Growing role of wind power and integration with hydropower for a balanced energy mix.
Technological improvements enhancing the efficiency of electricity generation and distribution.
- Challenges and Areas for Improvement
Key Points:
Vulnerability to climate change: Hydropower depends on rainfall, and dry years reduce power generation.
Example: The dry year of 2018 and reduced generation.
Environmental concerns: Impact of large reservoirs on ecosystems.
Future challenges: Increased demand due to electric vehicles and potential environmental trade-offs.
Conclusion
Summary: Recap Norway’s success in adapting to changes in demand with its hydropower system.
Evaluation: Acknowledge the system’s strengths but highlight the need to address challenges like climate change and rising demand for electricity. Conclude that Norway’s hydropower system is largely successful but requires future adjustments.
With reference to one country’s overall electrical energy strategy, assess the extent to which reducing environmental impacts is an important factor
Main Body Paragraph 1: Norway’s Clean Energy Mix
Point: Overview of Norway’s energy sources, focusing on hydropower, wind, and solar.
Evidence: Hydropower provides over 96% of Norway’s electricity.
Development: Highlight the environmental benefits (low emissions) but also mention the negative ecological impact of hydropower (e.g., impact on freshwater ecosystems).
Main Body Paragraph 2: Growth of Wind and Solar Energy
Point: Discuss the growth of wind and solar energy as part of Norway’s strategy.
Evidence: Norway’s 1.4 GW offshore wind capacity in 2022 and plans to expand to 30 GW by 2040.
Development: Address the challenges of intermittency and energy storage, which impact the effectiveness of these energy sources in reducing emissions.
Main Body Paragraph 3: Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Point: Explore Norway’s focus on electric vehicles and their role in reducing environmental impacts.
Evidence: Over 54% of new cars sold in Norway in 2022 were electric.
Development: Discuss the benefits of EVs (low emissions) but also the environmental challenges of battery production (mining of lithium, cobalt, etc.).
Main Body Paragraph 4: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
Point: Discuss the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in reducing emissions from industries.
Evidence: The Sleipner project and the Longship project as key CCS initiatives.
Development: Address the challenges of scalability, cost, and environmental risks associated with large-scale CCS deployment.
Main Body Paragraph 5: International Cooperation and Energy Exports
Point: Explain how Norway’s energy strategy extends beyond domestic efforts through energy exports to Europe.
Evidence: Norway exports clean electricity to the European Union, supporting its environmental goals.
Development: Highlight the potential conflicts between national energy consumption needs and export goals, and how these could impact Norway’s overall environmental strategy.
Conclusion
Summarize the key points, emphasizing that reducing environmental impacts is central to Norway’s energy strategy.
Offer a balanced judgment, acknowledging both the progress made and the challenges that remain.
‘People have different views about the scheme’s success’. How far is this statement true of one named located scheme to produce electricity
Body Paragraph 1: Economic Success
Point: Hydropower generates over 90% of Norway’s electricity, contributing significantly to the national economy.
Evidence: High electricity exports (22.4 TWh in 2021).
Counterpoint: Economic benefits are not evenly distributed, with profits often going to large companies and rural communities seeing fewer direct benefits.
Analysis: Economic success is seen differently depending on regional and local perspectives.
Body Paragraph 2: Environmental Impacts
Point: Hydropower is considered a clean and renewable energy source, reducing Norway’s carbon footprint.
Evidence: Low carbon emissions and global leadership in climate change.
Counterpoint: The environmental damage caused by dams (e.g., flooding of land and destruction of ecosystems).
Analysis: Environmental benefits and harms are weighed differently by supporters and critics.
Body Paragraph 3: Social and Cultural Views
Point: Hydropower is a source of national pride and job creation.
Evidence: Creation of jobs and rural development.
Counterpoint: Displacement of local communities, particularly indigenous Sámi people.
Analysis: National pride in hydropower contrasts with local opposition due to cultural and social impacts.
Body Paragraph 4: Spatial Variation
Point: Views on hydropower differ based on geographic location in Norway.
Evidence: Support for hydropower in southern and central Norway vs. opposition in northern regions (e.g., Sámi land).
Analysis: Regional differences show that the success of the scheme is viewed differently depending on where people live.
Body Paragraph 5: Temporal Variation
Point: The success of hydropower can be viewed differently over time.
Evidence: Short-term benefits include stable energy production and low emissions.
Counterpoint: Long-term challenges such as climate change impacts on water resources and aging infrastructure.
Analysis: Success in the short term, but uncertainty about long-term sustainability.
Conclusion
Summary: Restate that people view hydropower differently in Norway due to economic, environmental, social, spatial, and temporal factors.
Judgment: Conclude that while hydropower has been a success in many ways, it is not without controversy, and its success is not universally agreed upon.
With reference to one country, assess the extent to which recent changes in the management of energy supply led to locational changes in power production
Main Body
Paragraph 1: Historical Overview of Energy Production in Norway
Focus: Explain the dominance of hydropower in Norway’s energy mix.
Details: Hydropower accounts for ~88% of electricity as of 2020.
Locational Impact: Discuss how hydropower plants were concentrated in specific regions (e.g., Telemark, Sogn og Fjordane), shaping regional development and energy infrastructure.
Paragraph 2: The Rise of Offshore Wind Power
Focus: Shift towards offshore wind as a new energy source.
Details: Key offshore wind farms like Hywind Tampen (2022), and zones in the North Sea (Utsira Nord, Sørlige Nordsjø II).
Locational Impact: Offshore wind projects move energy production to coastal and maritime regions, altering the spatial distribution of power.
Scale and Temporal Changes: Focus on the expansion of wind projects over the last decade.
Paragraph 3: Green Hydrogen and Industrial Clusters
Focus: Development of green hydrogen in Norway, especially for industrial use.
Details: Locations like Herøya, Rjukan, Kårstø, and Mongstad for hydrogen production.
Locational Impact: Industrial clusters are now hubs for renewable energy integration, shifting power production closer to industrial consumption.
Temporal Shift: Evolution of hydrogen projects over the past few years as part of Norway’s decarbonization efforts.
Paragraph 4: Decentralization of Power Production
Focus: Rise of small-scale, decentralized energy projects.
Details: Microgeneration (small hydropower, solar farms) in regions like Trøndelag, Innlandet.
Locational Impact: Power production becomes more distributed, reducing reliance on large-scale hydropower plants in western Norway.
Temporal and Spatial Change: How this trend has grown over the last five years, contributing to energy resilience in rural areas.
Paragraph 5: Challenges and Unintended Consequences
Focus: Potential challenges and unintended consequences of these changes.
Details: Environmental opposition to offshore wind, upgrading of energy grids, economic impacts on regions previously reliant on hydropower.
Locational and Scale Impact: How energy export pressures (e.g., to Sweden, Germany) affect domestic supply, especially in dry years.
Conclusion
Summary: Recap how energy production locational changes have reshaped Norway’s energy landscape.
Judgment: Acknowledge the importance of these changes in improving sustainability but highlight the ongoing challenges, particularly in balancing regional needs and international energy trade. Conclude with a focus on the long-term impact of these shifts on Norway’s energy future.
