Energy

Question 1

What is Energy Security?

Answer 1

To have access to reliable/affordable energy resources

Question 2

What are Continuous Sources?

Answer 2

Renewable (solar, wind, tidal, geothermal)

Question 3

What are Flow Sources?

Answer 3

Can be renewable if flow is sustained (timber)

Question 4

What are Stock Sources

Answer 4

Non-renewable, altered or destroyed by use (fossil fuels, nuclear)

Question 5

What is a Baseload?

Answer 5

Core of electricity that keeps things running

Question 6

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Gas?

Answer 6

A: reliable, cleaner than coal, less CO2 emissions
D: domestic reserves are running out so growing dependency on imports (increasing vulnerability to rising prices and instability)

Question 7

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal?

Answer 7

A: well established, cheap, reliable, UK has large reserves, prices are rising but slower than for gas/oil
D: high emissions of CO2 and SO2, expensive to mine

Question 8

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear?

Answer 8

A: minimal CO2 emissions after construction, efficient/ effective/reliable, not as vulnerable to fuel price fluctuations as oil/gas
D: higher cost of building/decommissioning reactors, problems of nuclear waste/concerns about safety wont help meet Kyoto targets (10yrs to plan/build)

Question 9

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Landfill Gas?

Answer 9

A: site gives of methane, GHGs 20x more potent than CO2, burning it reduces contribution to climate change
D: burning methane still releases CO2/NO2

Question 10

What are the advantages and disadvantages of hydro?

Answer 10

A: no CO2 emissions, no vulnerability to fuel price or political instability, cheap once dam has been built
D: Natural flow hydro is reliant on rainfall and vulnerable to drought, relies on off-peak electricity to pump water back uphill

Question 11

What are the advantages and disadvantages of oil?

Answer 11

A: reliable technology, well established
D: inefficient generation, price instability, CO2 emissions

Question 12

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Bio Fuels?

Answer 12

A: energy crops considered carbon neutral because carbon released when crops are burned is balanced by carbon absorbed from atmosphere during growth
D: space required to grow crops, impact on landscape, release of GHGs in harvesting and transport of crops, particulates and hydrocarbons given off during combustion

Question 13

what are the advantages and disadvantages of wind?

Answer 13

A: renewable, not vulnerable to fuel price fluctuations, turbines are emission free and quick to build
D: local opposition and concerns about noise and impact on landscape, more expensive than fossil fuels, wind levels fluctuate

Question 14

What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar?

Answer 14

A: free and renewable, can generate electricity from photovoltaic cells, can be used to heat water directly
D: UK sunshine is unreliable/limited, its confined to daylight hours unless photovoltaic cells are used to store power in batteries

Question 15

What are the advantages and disadvantages of tidal?

Answer 15

A: renewable, part of UK have strong potential
D: development costs, potential environmental changes in tidal basins

Question 16

What is mineral availability determined by?

Answer 16

Location, chemical form (whether it needs much processing), purity, availability of suitable technologies

Question 17

What is a resource?

Answer 17

Naturally occurring substance that is known or thought to exist in concentrations that make extraction commercially possible either now or in the future

Question 18

What is a reserve?

Answer 18

The quantity of a resource that can be extracted profitably under existing conditions, the mineral must be at a concentration higher than the cut-off grade
The reserve is a subset of a resource

Question 19

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Kyoto Protocol?

Answer 19

A: international scale - has more impact (182 countries), fair-cuts are more depending on use
D: USA (big emitter) didn’t originally join, didn’t include developing countries

Question 20

What are the advantages and disadvantages of emissions trading?

Answer 20

A: acts as an incentive to maximise products, carbon market created from supply and demand
D: potential protectionism, cant let less committed off (not a big incentive, can pay their way out), almost went bust in 2004 - now introduced market stability reserve (MSR) to make carbon credits more expensive

Question 21

What are the advantages and disadvantages of green taxes?

Answer 21

A: vehicles tax is fair - biggest emitter pays more (polluter pays)
D: smaller scale

Question 22

What are the 3 main types of key players for oil?

Answer 22

Cartels (OPEC or political) - able to manipulate price
State controlled companies
TNCs

Question 23

What are the advantages and disadvantages of OPEC?

Answer 23

A: fair and stable prices for members, efficient supply of oil to consuming nations
D: prices for members may be disproportionate to non members as they produce 45% of the worlds crude oil (may lead to inequality)

Question 24

What is the price of oil determined by?

Answer 24

Supply and demand

Question 25

How much of the worlds gas reserves does GAZPROM control?

Answer 25

1/3

Question 26

How much of EUs natural gas is provided by GAZPROM?

Answer 26

25%

Question 27

Name 3 examples of countries where GAZPROM is their sole supplier?

Answer 27

Finland, Latvia, Moldova

Question 28

What is the Russia-Germany pipeline designed to do? What do critics say about this?

Answer 28

Bypass Ukraine and guarantee EUs supply It just increases Russia's 'turn off' power

Question 29

How much of Russia's GDP does oil and gas account for? What does this mean?

Answer 29

Over 20% These fossil fuels are vital to the countries economic success

Question 30

Who is the largest buyer of Russian gas in absolute terms?

Answer 30

Germany

Question 31

What are energy pathways?

Answer 31

Transportation process | Energy is taken from key areas of supply (energy secure) to areas of demand (insecure) - Russia to Ukraine

Question 32

What are the Physical and Human problems that the ESPO energy pathway faces?

Answer 32

Current energy pathway includes Straits of Malacca (piracy) Destroys habitats of worlds rarest big cat - Amur Leopard Increased cost due to rising steal prices Building in soils affected permafrost Initial route is too close to Lake Baikal - worlds largest fresh water lake, UNESCO protected site, pipeline moved north (costly) Spills would cause environmental disaster

Question 33

What are tar sands?

Answer 33

Bitumen from petroleum, high viscosity, sticky and dense - a mixture of sand or clay and water - harder to extract the 'oily' bit then from conventional 'oil' sources

Question 34

What are frontier hydrocarbons?

Answer 34

Those grades of oil, such as tar sands, that are considered inferior to conventional oil sources

Question 35

Why may individuals/organisations want to reduce their consumption?

Answer 35

Reduce costs (maximise profits) Reduce harmful emissions Promote energy security on a regional/national scale

Question 36

Where are tar sands primarily found?

Answer 36

Alberta, Canada

Question 37

What are they key players for tar sands?

Answer 37

First Nationers - own land Fort McKay - provide jobs 90 oil companies - lease land from government

Question 38

What are the environmental advantages of tar sands?

Answer 38

Mining companies are required to reclaim land disturbed by mining

Question 39

What are the environmental disadvantages of tar sands?

Answer 39

Largest CO2 emitter on planet (industrial) Large cysts/abrasions on fish Lake Athabasca could be polluted Large quantities of water/soil destruction

Question 40

What are the social advantages of tar sands?

Answer 40

People move there as they can make $1,000 a day | Secure, sizeable source of oil for Canada/USA

Question 41

what are the social disadvantages of tar sands?

Answer 41

Bad smell Tar sands changed way of life - killed edible fish Caused rare forms of cancer

Question 42

What are the economic advantages of tar sands?

Answer 42

1.3m barrels a day Production set to double in the next 10 years $500 million per year for Fort McKay Oil is vital to economy - nearly 20% of total value of Canada's exports in 2007

Question 43

What are the economic disadvantages of tar sands?

Answer 43

Could run out in 200 years time | Energy intensive to make - 1 barrel of oil to make 2 barrels of crude oil from tar sands

Question 44

What are the arguments for nuclear in the future?

Answer 44

More reliable than hydro/wind as always available Safe, modern power stations 0 emissions of GHGs when operating Not as vulnerable to fuel price fluctuation as gas/oil

Question 45

What are the arguments against nuclear in the future?

Answer 45

Wind/solar have lower estimated CO2 emissions Takes around 10-20 years to set up a nuclear power station - have to reply on coal during this time Causing more deaths from air pollution per year than wind/solar Emissions during construction

Question 46

What are the arguments for wind in the future?

Answer 46

Individual turbines can provide electricity to isolated locations Land can still be farmed - small footprint 5-10x more wind worldwide than we need

Question 47

What are the arguments against wind in the future?

Answer 47

Fluctuations in wind speed can cause problems Local opposition - scars landscape, danger to wildlife - NIMBY Suitable areas are often near the coast where land is expensive Only accounts for 1% of worlds global electricity supply

Question 48

Describe how wind turbines helped Germany

Answer 48

Wind turbine industry hires 100,000 people Contributed 6 million Euros in export earning 7% of Germany's energy in 2007