Carbon EQ2 - Consequences of increasing energy demand

Question 1

What is energy security?

Answer 1

The uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price

Question 2

What is the difference between long and short term energy security?

Answer 2

Long term - timely investments to supply energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs
Short term - ability of the energy system to react promptly to sudden changes in balance between supply and demand

Question 3

What are the 4 important aspects of energy supply?

Answer 3

• availability
• accessibility
• affordability
• reliability

Question 4

What is energy intensity?

Answer 4

A measure of how efficiently a country is using its energy - calculated as units of energy used per unit of GDP

Question 5

How is energy consumption expressed?

Answer 5

Per capita in terms of
- kg of oil equivalent per year
- gigajoules per year
- megawatt hours per year

Question 6

What is energy mix?

Answer 6

The combination of different available energy sources used to meet a country’s total energy demand, and important component of energy security.

Question 7

What is consumption of energy rising?

Answer 7

Due to development, rising living standards and population growth

Question 8

What factors affect access to and consumption of energy resources?

Answer 8

• physical availability (domestic vs imports)
• cost (physical exploitation, processing, delivery)
• technology
• public perception (based on level of economic development and standards of living)
• climate (colder places need more heating)
• environmental priorities

Question 9

What is an energy pathway?

Answer 9

The route taken by any form of energy from its source to its point of consumption

Question 10

Where do different players fit on the spectrum of energy supply and demand?

Answer 10

Energy supply - energy companies, governments of energy producing countries (OPEC)
Energy transport - TNCs, shipping companies, pipeline controllers
Energy demand - TNCs, energy companies, governments, consumers

Question 11

Who are the 5 major players in the world of energy?

Answer 11

• TNCs
• OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum exporting Countries)
• consumers
• governments
• energy companies

Question 12

What is the role of TNCs in the supply and demand of energy?

Answer 12

• explore, exploit and distribute energy resources
• own supply lines, invest in distribution and production of raw materials
• respond to market conditions to secure profits for their stakeholders

Question 13

What is the role of the OPEC in the supply of energy?

Answer 13

Permanent IGO - 13 member countries who own between them 2/3rds of the world’s oil reserves
- co-ordinates and unifies petroleum policies of its members to ensure stabilisation of oil markets

Question 14

What is the role of governments in the supply and demand of energy?

Answer 14

• guardians of national energy security
• influence sourcing of energy for geopolitical reasons
• provide legislation on emissions levels and costs for consumers
• protect energy pathways to and from the country (supporting economic growth)

Question 15

What is the role of consumers in energy demand?

Answer 15

They create demand - purchasing choices often based on price/cost issues
- largely passive players in determining/fixing energy prices

Question 16

What are the causes of mismatch between fossil fuel supply and demand?

Answer 16

• physical geography influences supply and where resources are found
• human development influences demand (consumption higher in more affluent urbanised areas)

Question 17

How are supply and demand balanced/unbalanced for each of the 3 fossil fuels?

Answer 17

COAL: most of consumers are producers, so not a large mismatch. This reflects the fact that coal is characterised by high transport costs despite low energy density
OIL: main producers OPEC countries, mismatch between production and usage, high demand for it as a transport fuel
GAS: production dominated by USA and Russia, leading producers are often also consumers

Question 18

How can energy pathways be disrupted?

Answer 18

• militant action
• geopolitical conflict
• disturbance at checkpoints
• piracy
• natural hazards

Question 19

What makes a good energy pathway?

Answer 19

• good multilateral and bilateral agreements
• avoiding transit states to transport the energy

Question 20

What is sometimes considered the underlying reason that energy pathways become prone to disruption?

Answer 20

Fossil fuel depletion initiates the pattern of energy supply and demand and therefore can lead to unstable energy pathways being set up

Question 21

How are mismatches in energy supply and demand resolved?

Answer 21

Via the creation of energy pathways that allow transfers to take place between producers and consumers

Question 22

How is energy transported along energy pathways?

Answer 22

Pipelines, transmission lines, shipping routes, road and rail

Question 23

What are the issues surrounding the energy pathway of gas from Russia to Europe?

Answer 23

Russia supplies a quarter of Europe’s gas and 80% of this transits through Ukraine
2009 - pay disputes between Gazprom and Naftogaz led to Gazprom cutting off all supplies to Europe
2014 - Russia annexation of Crimea increased geopolitical tensions
Although Russia has tried to bypass Ukraine for gas supplies, the two countries are inextricably linked. The EU would be wise to not increase reliance on Russian gas due to the significance of the geopolitical situation

Question 24

What are the 4 unconventional fossil fuel resources?

Answer 24

Tar sands - mixture of clay, sand, water and bitumen
Oil shale - oil bearing rocks that are permeable enough to allow oil to be pumped out directly
Shale gas - natural gas trapped in fine grained sedimentary rocks
Deepwater oil - oil and gas found well offshore at considerable ocean depths

Question 25

What are 3 examples of the exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels?

Answer 25

Tar sands - Canada, Alberta province, tar sands produce 40% of Canada’s oil outputs
Shale gas - US, provided 25% of supply in 2015 due to increased use of hydraulic fracturing
Deepwater oil - Brazil, discovered huge oil deposits in 2006 leading to countries like Petrobras raising production to 500,000 oil barrels a day

Question 26

What are the pros and cons of tar sands?

Answer 26

Pros = relatively secure source of energy so can spur economic growth. Produces large profits and extraction provides thousands of jobs
Cons = extraction method is very carbon intensive, destroys areas and reduces biodiversity, limited reserves leads to overdependence, high social and health costs

Question 27

What are the pros and cons of offshore drilling for deep water oil?

Answer 27

Pros = increased oil production stimulates the economy, reduces interdependence and lowers oil prices
Cons = expensive facilities, not always technologically feasible, danger to environment from oil spills, high risk

Question 28

What are the pros and cons of oil shale/shale gas via fracking?

Answer 28

Pros = eliminates foreign dependence on oil, cheaper to produce, doesn’t produce CO2
Cons = environmental concerns, uses a lot of water, carcinogenic chemicals can escape and contaminate groundwater. May cause small earth tremors.

Question 29

Who are the players involves with the harnessing of unconventional fossil fuels?

Answer 29

• exploration companies
• environmental groups
• affected communities
• governments

Question 30

What are the drawbacks of renewable energy sources?

Answer 30

• not all countries have renewable energy resources to exploit
• few countries where renewables can completely replace energy derived from fossil fuels
• significant impacts on environment

Question 31

What is nuclear energy, what are the pros and cons?

Answer 31

Nuclear energy is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity
Pros = reasonably carbon free, recyclable energy source, high energy production
Cons = issues with safety (Chernobyl, Fukushima), disposal of high toxic radioactive waste, terrorism threats, costs of building/decomissioning

Question 32

What is wind power, what are the pros and cons?

Answer 32

Electrical energy obtained from harnessing the wind (wind turbines)
Pros = renewable, no CO2 emission, low operating costs, efficient use of space
Cons = NIMBY issues, visual scar on landscape, unreliable (only runs when wind at certain speed), noise pollution

Question 33

What is solar power, what are the pros and cons?

Answer 33

Radiant light and heat from sun captured and harnessed to produce electrical energy
Pros = renewable, no CO2 emission, zero maintenance
Cons = high upfront costs, limited reliability (weather dependent)

Question 34

What is a biofuel?

Answer 34

A fuel derived immediately from living matter (biomass)
Primary = unprocessed form
Secondary = processing of biomass e.g. ethanol

Question 35

What are the pros and cons of the use of biofuels?

Answer 35

Pros = alternative ‘green’ energy source
Cons = implications for food supply (hectare of space to grow energy crops is a hectare less for food production), may not be ‘carbon neutral’ due to the fact that deforestation occurs to plant them

Question 36

What are radical technologies?

Answer 36

Innovations that aim to significantly reduce and prevent CO2 emissions into the atmosphere within the short term

Question 37

What are the main radical technologies to reduce carbon emissions?

Answer 37

• carbon capture storage
• fuel cells
• electric vehicles

Question 38

What is carbon capture storage, what are the pros and cons?

Answer 38

Involves ‘capturing’ of CO2 released by burning of fossil fuels and burying it deep underground
Pros = CO2 and other pollutants can be removed at the source, reduce social cost of carbon
Cons = expensive and complex technology, uncertainty over whether CO2 will remain trapped in the ground/how long it will remain there

Question 39

What are hydrogen fuel cells, what are the pros and cons of these?

Answer 39

Fuel cell which combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat and water, producing electricity as long as fuel supplied
Pros = no emissions other than water, relatively little disturbance of carbon cycle, don’t need to recharge
Cons = hydrogen fuel is currently made from oil and natural gas in a carbon intensive process, expensive technology, hydrogen is expensive to transport and no infrastructure is in place at the moment

Question 40

What are electric vehicles, what are the pros and cons of these?

Answer 40

Vehicles powered only by electricity rather than fuel
Pros = reduction in GHG emissions, help to reduce pollution
Cons = mining of rare earth minerals (lithium for batteries) creates pollution and toxic waste, long refuelling time, end of life batteries hard to dispose of

Question 41

What is a renewable energy source?

Answer 41

Energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed