1
Q
How do wind turbines produce electricity
A
Wind turbines use energy form the wind to turn and generate electricity . These turbines can be on land or at sea
2
Q
How is energy harvested from the sun
A
Energy from the sun is used to heat water and solar cookers or to generate electricity using photovaultic cells
3
Q
How do HEP dams produce energy
A
HEP uses the energy of falling water to generate electricity. Water is trapped by a dam and allowed to fall though tunnels. The pressure of the falling water turns a turbine and generates electricity
4
Q
How are fossil feuls formed
A
Fossil feuls were formed millions of years ago from the remains of dead organisms. They can be extracted from the ground or seabed
5
Q
How is nuclear energy produced
A
Nuclear energy is produced from splitting uranium atoms. When uranium atoms split they release a lot of heat. This heat is used to boil water to produce steam . This steam then turns a turbine which generates electricity
6
Q
How can biomass be used to produce electricity
A
Biomass(wood, plants or animal waste) can be burnt to release energy directly or it can be used to produce biofuels
7
Q
What are the environmental impacts of mining
A
- Surface mining strips away large areas of surface land e.g soil, rocks vegetation so that miners can reach the materials they want e.g fossil feuls , this permenantly damages the landscapeb
- Mines themselves can destroy habitats e.g by clearing forest leading to a loss of biodiversity
8
Q
What are some other environmental impacts of mining
A
- The forest clearing (for the mines) affects the water cycle . There are less trees to absorb water from the ground and intercept water. Leading to more run off , erosion of soil and leaching
- Mining processes release greenhouse gases e.g methane , carbon dioxide into the atmosphere . This contributes to global warming
9
Q
What are the negative environmental impacts of drilling
A
- Drilling for oil requires lots of vegetation to be cleared to make space for the drills and to make space for roads to access the site
- Oil spills can cause major damage to the environment e,g the deepwater horizon oilspill in 2010 leaked 4 million barrels of oil into the gulf of mexico . This oil coats animals fur and feathers and affects their ability to move freely and to feed
- Drilling for natural gas may cause methane to be released into the environment which strengthens the greenhouse effect
10
Q
What are the disadvantages of wind turbines
A
- Lots of wind turbines are needed to produce significant amounts of electricity meaning they take up alot of space
- There is lots of noise pollution created by wind turbines e.g a constant humming noise
- The spinning blades of the turbines can kill/ injure birds and bats
11
Q
What are the disadvantages of solar panels
A
- Some solar panels use ground/surface water to be cleaned , this can lead to water shortages in arid areas
- The mirrors in solar farms can relfect heat , killing wildlife
- Solar farms build on the ground can destroy and disturb habitats
12
Q
What are the disadvanages of HEP plants
A
- HEP plants use dams to trap water to produce energy -This creates resevoirs which floods large areas of land
- The HEP dams can cause a build up of sediment on the river which the dam is on. This can block sunlight energy reaching the dam causing algea and plants to die
13
Q
What factors affect a countries access to energy
A
- Technology~some countries have access to energy resources but do not have the technology to exploit the resources either as it is too expensive or unavaliable e.g in Niger there are large uranium reserves but the technology to built nuclear power plants is not avaliable
- Accessibility -some countries have large energy resources but are not able to access them e,g because of permafrost . Some energy reserves are also into protected areas e.g antarctica and cant be exploited
14
Q
What are some other factors affecting access to energy
A
-Geology-Some countries may not have the correct geology for energy resources such as fossil feuls to develop as it develops in sedimentary rock. Some countries may also have lots of access to energy as they are on the equator so can harvest geothermal energy
-Climate-energy resources such as solar energy can only be access in sunny climates e,eg spain and may not be able to be aceessed in
duller climates e.g theUK
-Landscape -a country needs the correct landscape to harness its energy resources e.g wind turbines need a steady and reliable source of wind and HEP energy requires lots of water
-
15
Q
How does development affect energy resource consumption
A
- Developed countries e.g Norway and US use more energy per peson as they can afford to. The lifestyles of people in these countries is more energy intensive as they have more applainces e.g cars that require energy .
- Developing countries e.g Chad use less energy per person as they less able to afford it. The lifestyles of people in these countries are less enrgy intensive as they less energy using appliances. The jobs are also focussed around primary industry which used much less energy than manufacturing
16
Q
Why do some countries rely on traditional feul sources
A
Some countries e,g countries in sub saharan africa rely on traditional feul sources as the energy networks in the country are poorly connected and teh country does not have the technology to exploit the energy resources avaliable. This means teh people have to rely on energy from sources such as biomass
17
Q
What is oil production
A
Oil production is the process of extracting and refining crude oil
18
Q
What factors affect oil production
A
Infrastructure -a country must ahve the right infrastructure and technology to produce oil
19
Q
How much is global energy consumption increasing by
A
Global oil consumption is increasing as countries develop
-Between 2015 and 2016 global oil comsumption increased by 1.4 million barrels per day
20
Q
Why is oil consumption increasing
A
- Oil comsumption is increasing as GDP per capita increases ~ wealthier people can afford more oil intensive goods e,g cars
- Oil consumption is also increasing due to rapid industrialisation and development in emerging countries e.g China and India . The combination of population growth, boom in industry and expansion of cities all leads to increased oil consumption
21
Q
What factors affect oil supply and price
A
- Conflict - conflicts (such as the ones in the middle east in the 1970’s) disrupt oil production and cause a shortage of supply. This shortage causes prices to increase
- Economic booms - oil prices increase during periods of rapid economic growth because of increased oil consumption and demand
- Recessions (e.g 2008) -Lower demand for oil because economic and industrial activities slow down . This causes prices to fall
- Diplomatic relations-Tensions between oil producing countries e,g Iran and Saudi increase prices for oil as they try to outprice each other
22
Q
What is energy conservation
A
Energy conservation is about changing our behaviours as consumers in order to reduce energy use e.g driving less , using a washing line instead of a dryer
23
Q
What is energy efficiency
A
Energy effeciency involves buying products that do the same job but use less energy e.g a low energy lightbulb
24
Q
How can energy demand be reduced in the home
A
- Energy demand can be reduced by insulating the floors , walls and roofs in the home so less energy is needed to heat the home
- Energy demand can also be reduced by replacing an older boiler with a new one as they are more energy efficient so will use less energy in the home
- Solar panels can be fitted in the home to provide a renewable source of electricty
25
How can energy demand be reduced in transport
- Engine manufacturers are makinh engines that are more energy efficient -This reduces the energy needed
- Encouraging walking/cycling and improving public transport reduces the demand for energy used for transport
- Regenerative breaking-Road vehichles can be fitted with devices tgat store energy lost under breaking and use them again or return them to the national grid
26
What does the pressure of energy demand mean for ecologically sensitive areas
The pressure of meeting the energy demand means that new, ecologically sensitive areas are being explored for conventional oil and gas reserves
27
What are the advantages of exploiting oil or gas reserves in ecologically sensitive areas
The advantages are:
- Countries with the oil or gas reserves can save money on importing energy e.g Peru with gas reserves in the amazon
- The countries with the reserves can also make money exporting the energy
- Gas companies coming to exploit the reserves bring jobs and investement into the communities e.g A gas company in Alaska has invested 4.5 million dollars into communities and created 1700 jobs
28
What are the disadvantages of exploiting oil and gas reserves in new, ecologically sernsitive areas
- In order to access the new reserves land has to be cleared to make way for roads and pipelines . This can disrupt fragile ecosystems and cause a loss of biodiversity
- Exploring offshore oil and gas reserves e.g arctic circle can have a big impact on marine life. Noise and vibrations caused by the drills can confuse marine animals e.g whales that rely on noise to navigate , communicate and find food
- Putting roads and industry in isolated areas to access the reserves can leave these areas open and vunerable to illegal activity e.g logging
29
How is shale gas extracted by fracking(unconventional method )
- Shale gas is a natural gas found in shale rock . It is extracted by fracking :
- Liquid is pumped into the shale rock at high pressure
- This causes the rock to crack which releases the shale gas which is then collected
30
What are the negative environmental impacts of fracking
- The chemicals used fracking liquid as well as the shale gas itself can pollute groundwater and drinking water e.g in areas of the US
- Land has to be cleared to make way for drilling pads for fracking -This destroys animal habitats and disrupts ecosytems . E.g mule deer populations in wyoming have been affected
31
What substance do tar sands contain
Tar sands contain bitumen which can be refined to produce oil
32
How is bitumen seperated from tar sands (unconventional )
-Surface mines collect tar sands and transport it to processing plants where they use chemicals and war to seperate the bitumen from the sands
33
What are the negative environmental impacts of tar sands and surface mining
-Surface mining for tar sands uses vast amounts of space. This devastates habitats and leads to a loss of biodiversity
34
What are the negatives of biofeuls
- Sources of biomass have to be managed sustainably so they dont run out
- Growing crops for biofeuls requires a lot of water and reduces the amount of space avaliable for food crops
- In some areas, land is being deforested to make soace for crops for biofeuls
35
What are the advantages of biofeuls
- Biofeuls produce less pollution than fossil fuels when they are burnt
- Biofuels can be made out of waste products, reusing waste is good for the environment
36
What arethe disadvantages of wind energy
- Wind is unpredictable so the amount of electricty produced varies
- Wind turbines can have a negative environmental impact(noise pollution)
- It can be expensive to transport electricty produced at offshore wind farms to where it is needed
37
What are the advantages of wind energy
- Wind energy is a relativley cheap source of renewable energy
- Once the turbines have been produced and transported to a sutiable location,the turbines dont produce any greenhouse gas emmisons
38
What are the disadvantages of solar energy
- A sunny climate is needed to produce large amounts of energy so it is not a reliable energy source in pplaces where it is not sunny
- Toxic metals e.g mercury are used in the construction of solar panels
- Solar panels cause negative environmental impacts and can destroy habitats
39
What are the advatages of solar energy and solar panels
- Once the solar panels have been made and fitted no emmisions are produced
- Solar panels require little mantainence once installed
- The technology for solar panels is widely avaliable
40
What are the diadvantages of hydrogen fuel
- Hydrogen rarely exists by itself in the earth. Fossil feuls often have to be used to extract it , releasing greenhouse gases
- The technology for hydrogen feul is expensive and not widely avaliable
- Hydrogen gas is hard to store as it is flammable
41
What are the advantages of hydrogen feul
- Burning hydrogen produces no harmful emissions the only by-product is water
- Hydrogen is extracted from water , so is not limited to a particular area
42
What are the disadvantages of HEP power plants
- HEP power plants are very expensive to build and require a lot of land and water
- HEP power plants flood large areas of land
43
What are the advantages of HEP power plants
- The flow of water through the turbines can be controlled , so the energy source is reliable
- No emissions are produced when HEP power plants are used to produce energy
44
What does a business as usual energy future look like
A business as usual energy future is one where everything carries on as normal. The amount of fossil feuls used stays the same and there no increase in the use of renewable energy sources
45
What does a move to sustainability energy future look like
A move to sustainability energy future is one where we reduce the amount of fossil feuls we use and increase the amount of energy we get from renewable sources
46
What attitude do consumers have towards energy futures
- Consumers want reliable energy sources that be disrupted in the future
- But they also want cheap energy sources-renewable sources cost is high
- This ultimately means that currently consumers prefer a buisness as usual approach as it provides cheap, secure energy . As fossil feuls start to run out and environmental awarness increases consumers may move to favour a sustainability approach
47
What are the attitudes of TNC's to energy futures
- TNC's favour a buisness as usual approach as sustainable and renewable energy sources cost more money than fossil feuls so the amount spent on energy would go up,eating into profits
- Some TNCs e,g shell are involved in the fossil fuel industry . These TNC's would particularly favour a buisness as usual approach as moving to sustainablility would reduce profutd
48
What is governments attitudes to energy futures
- In general governments want the most secure energy future for the people -this means they are starting to shift to a sustainable energy future view
- In developed countries , governments are coming under increasing pressure from some consumers to protect the environment -This means they are shifting to a sustainable future view
- In developing countries , fossil fuels are the most affordable option for the people , so governments favour a business as usual aproach
49
What is climate scientists view towards energy futures
- Climate scientists want to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels to lessen the consequences of climate change e.g rising sea levels
- This means they favour a move towards sustainablility approach
50
What are environmental groups attitudes towards enrgy futures
Environmental groups e,g greenpeace want to reduce the use of fossil fuels as they damage the environment and switch to renewable sources of energy.
-This means they favour a move to sustainability approach
51
How does rising affluence affect peoples views to energy futures
- People with more money can afford to make a decision about energy use e.g they can afford electric cars and can afford to invest solar panels
- Governements in developed countries can invest in renewable energy sources and invest in public transport
52
How does education affect peoples views to energy futures
-People who have a better education are more likely to understand the effects of increasing emissions and unsustainable energy usage .
People also learn how to reduce their carbon footprint and overall become more aware of their actions effect on the environment
53
What is another reason why attitudes to energy futures are changing
Another reason why attitudes to energy futures are changing is because as investement into research about the environmental impact of different energy sources people are becoming more aware of the negative impacts of fossil fuels. This means they are more likely to switch to using renewable energy
54
What is carbon footprint
Carbon footprint is the measure of the amount of greenhouse gasses emmited by a product, individual or organisation over its lifetime
55
What is an ecological footprint
An ecological footprint is the measure of the amount of land that is needed to support an indivuals lifestyle
Geography
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