case study: energy supply in a country or area

•case study: Germany 

•location of the largest power stations: river Ems, river coast Elbe and the river Neckar 

          •they are located next to rivers, coasts and coalfields 

                    •this saves transport costs in coalfields as the resource is nearby 

                    •rivers supply cooling water 

                    •near coasts to release air pollution away from settlements 

                    •rivers can transport coal

                    •large flat land for construction 

•Germany’s energy consumption 

          •largest consumer of electricity in Europe 

          •main sources of power production are coal (45%), nuclear (23%) and gas (14%), which are non-renewable 

          •except for oil, all renewable energy sources are the smallest amount produced - only 16%

          •lots of lignite for open cast mining 

•how Germany produces energy 

          •coal fired power stations e.g Schwarze Pumpe Power Station

                    •uses brown coal (lignite) mined in East Germany using open cast method 

                    •bituminous coal is also imported cheaply from abroad e.g to Brokdorf 

                    •advantages 

                              •many countries have large reserves 

                              •coke can be used for steel and oil for petrol 

                              •oil and gas can be moved efficiently by pipelines 

                    •disadvantages 

                              •lots of air pollution 

                              •can be inefficient in location 

                              •deep mining is dangerous 

          •nuclear power station 

                    •Isar 2 Nuclear power plant, 15km away from Landshut 

                    •it produces 15% of Bavarian electricity 

                    •advantages 

                              •very little uranium needed to make lots 

                              •no greenhouse gases means no acid rain

                              •highly regulated 

                              •no global warming 

                    •disadvantages 

                              •decommissioning costs are very high 

                              •security as it can be used as weapons 

                              •capital costs are very high

                              •radioactive waste is hard to dispose 

                              •large disasters could happen

•future plans - renewable energy resources 

          •advantages 

                    •nuclear disasters avoided 

                    •security of nuclear weapons decreased 

          •disadvantages

                    •electricity relies on neighbouring countries 

                    •releases more emissions 

          •2020 ends nuclear power, investing in renewables 

          •Germany might be able to get all its electricity from renewable sources by 2050

  

          •where?

                    •obtains 16% from solar, wind and hydro power 

                    •plans to add 5000mW of photovoltaic capacity 

                    •2nd largest wind-power producer - wind turbines in the Black Forest 

                    •employs 300,000 jobs in renewable energy 

                    •Black Forest provides biomass and its height is suitable for wind turbines 

evaluate the bene ts and disadvantages of nuclear power and renewable energy sources

•nuclear power 

          •advantages 

                    •raw material needed is very small 

                    •contributes relatively little to acid rain, global warming and climate change 

                    •there is a lot of research being carried out over safety 

                    •highly received from international government 

                    •many safety measures

                    •allows countries to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, cutting imports 

          •disadvantages

                    •concerns about safety of technology 

                    •potential for disastrous accidents to take place 

                    •living near plants may suffer from poor health 

                    •nuclear waste is difficult and expensive and dangerous to dispose 

                    •plants are expensive to build, and to close down 

•fuelwood

          •largest use in Asia and Africa, where wood is used for shelter, fuel, food and shade 

          •severe shortages limit development, as it is the cheapest energy resource

          •isolated rural areas rely on fuelwood, where they are far away from power grids 

          •use of fuelwood uses less deforestation then land for agriculture 

•geothermal 

          •advantages 

                    •renewable 

                    •provides constant supply

                    •unpolluted 

                    •creates jobs

                    •extremely cheap 

                    •water is reused 

                    •unaffected by weather 

          •disadvantages 

                    •high construction cost 

                    •high maintenance cost 

                    •limited to volcanic areas 

                    •groundwater is often poisonous 

                    •areas suitable are often affected by earthquakes 

•wind power

          •advantages 

                    •safe (not radioactive) 

                    •affects ecosystems minimally 

                    •very cheap after initial expense 

                    •creates jobs 

                    •small farmers can earn money 

                    •no global warming 

          •disadvantages 

                    •wind is inconsistent 

                    •spoils the natural attraction 

                    •expensive and inefficient 

                    •noisy

                    •cannot be used during storms 

                    •inefficient 

                    •can interrupt TV and radio reception 

•wave and tidal power

          •advantages 

                    •cannot see it visually 

                    •constant supply of electricity 

                    •no pollution 

                    •reservoir can be used for waterspouts, and attract businesses 

                    •no fuel costs 

                    •can respond to changing demand 

                    •stored water can be used for irrigation and for the people                    

         •disadvantages 

                    •difficult to withstand wave power 

                    •hard to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy 

                    •expensive to build 

                    •destroys habitats 

                    •can create geological damage e.g earthquakes 

                    •whole communities may have to move

•solar power 

          •advantages

                    •safe

                    •pollution free

                    •efficient and limitless

                    •opportunities in LEDCs where it is sunnier 

                    •can be used in remote areas where electric lines may be expensive 

                    •costs are being reduced 

          •disadvantages 

                    •hindered by weather 

                    •expensive  

                    •hard to construct 

                    •less effective for high-powered output uses 

•biofuels 

          •advantages 

                    •prices are more stable than oil prices

                    •supplies can be more secure and reduce reliance on import 

                    •fewer pollutants are produced 

                    •can be produced wherever there is sufficient crop growth 

                    •they can be blended with other fuels, reducing their reliance 

          •disadvantages 

                    •land used is often farmland, leading to food price increase and decrease in supply

                    •manufactures use significant amount of energy, creating emissions 

                    •low-energy output compared to traditional 

                    •ruin habitats by taking over land  

                    •forces people to move off their lives 

describe the importance of non-renewable fossil fuels, renewable energy supplies, nuclear power and fuelwood; globally and in different countries at different levels of development

•non-renewable

          •they are finite e.g oil, coal, gas

•fossil fuels

          •they are energy resources taking many years to replace

•renewable resources

          •energy resources that are sustainable e.g geothermal, wind, HEP, wave and tidal power 

•change in world energy production

          •all energy sources are increasing in importance

          •some dips may refer to world economy 

          •coal, oil and natural gas are constantly increasing, but decreasing in percentage of world use - from 90% to 80%

          •hydro and nuclear power is emerging due to fears of nuclear disaster and is too expensive 

•coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydro and other are increasing in percentage use 

•oil and biofuels and waste are decreasing in percentage use

          •in the next few years, Asia Pacific will be using the most energy 

•reasons for the increase in demand for resources 

          •population growth

                    •more people need to use these resources in order to survive

                    •use of heating for the population

          •economic development 

                    •fuel for industry and manufacturing growth

                    •new countries rely on energy to support infrastructure 

                    

          •increasing wealth

                    •more are able to afford better lifestyles, which use energy resources 

                    •bigger houses 

                    •holidays and private forms of transport use a large carbon footprint

          •technological advances

                    •use of phones and the internet

                    •usage of appliances that are electrical 

       

             

•energy consumption 

          •countries above the north line of the equator use more energy  

          •the MEDC’s tend to use the most

          •countries that produce some of the largest amounts of oil also use the most

          •countries which are more developed, but have the shortest histories use the most e.g (UAE, USSR, AU and the USA) 

          •the lowest are mostly LEDCs or countries with longer histories e.g (UK and China) 

•primary energy regional consumption

          •oil

                    •a very high overall percentage use oil globally, but Asia uses the least 

                    

          •coal

                    •variety - prominent in larger areas

                    •1% in the middle east where other resources are cheaper

                    •lots of use in NICs where other technological means isn't as advanced 

                    

          •natural gas

                    •it’s found in more consistent climates - 50 % in the middle East, high else where apart from Asia 

                    

          •hydro-electricity 

                    •not common in areas with lots of land, popular in Latins, not very common

          •nuclear 

                    •not popular overall

                    •most popular in MEDCs, highly unpopular in the Middle East

          •renewables 

                    •not very popular in all countries - 1-8% in all 

          •the most developed countries tend to use a wide mix of energy sources as they are able to invest in domestic energy potential and to buy energy from abroad 

          •high investment is required for nuclear electricity means only a limited number of countries produce it this way 

          •richer countries have been able to invest more into renewable energy resources of energy

          •LEDC energy demand will grow due to population growth and economic development 

•advantages of higher energy consumption 

          •electricity makes household tasks easier 

          •modern transport systems are based on oil use

          •industry requires high energy to make it work 

•disadvantages of higher energy consumption 

          •there are concerns we are using it too quickly, and that we will soon run out of supplies 

          •creates air pollution 

          •interdependence of supply may lead to conflict 

          •safety concerns of extraction