CIE International Geography A2 level (Advanced Human Options - environmental management).
With these notes, you'll have the necessary material to get an A+.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
12.1 Sustainable energy supplies
Renewable and non-renewable energy resources.
Non-renewable sources
COAL - coal-fired power plants burn coal to make steam and the steam turns turbines
(machines for generating rotary mechanical power) to generate electricity.
OIL - oil is burned to heat water and produce steam. This steam propels the blades of
a turbine. This is attached to a generator, which produces electricity.
NATURAL GAS - trapped in rocks deep underground – is burnt to create heat which
powers a turbine. The rotation of this turbine spins a generator which creates
electricity. Main source of energy in Europe and Eurasia
advantages disadvantages
Cheap Finite resource
Reliable Greenhouse gas emissions and global warming
Efficient Air pollution causes acid rain
Abundant Ozone layer depletion
Simple storage Harmful by-products (--> health problems)
Local job creation Extraction destroy habitats (--> biodiversity loss)
Easy to access and extract Accidents – dangerous working conditions
Independent of weather conditions Not much room for improvements
Initial construction costs are rather cheap Dependence on foreign countries and world market prices
Coal as complement in the energy transition process Conflicts and wars
Mature technology many industries are dependent on
Oil → oil spills, target for terrorists
Easy transportation through pipelines Gas → drilling induces seismic activity, health issues if
By-products can be used for plastic production gas/fluids leak into underground aquifers.
- large deposits yet to be discovered
- cleanest of the fossil fuels
NUCLEAR - uranium ore is mined and turned into fuel rods that undergo radioactive decay. The splitting of atoms creates heat that
warms water to steam, turning turbines.
→ makes smallest contribution of the five traditional energy sources
→ most important in Europe, Eurasia and Central America
advantages disadvantages
- very efficient (1 station = wind farm the size of Luxemburg) - expensive to build/run
- no atmospheric pollutant - takes long time to plan and then decommission
- reduced dependence on greenhouse gases - hard to dispose of toxic water (U235 = 700m yr half life)
- disasters such as Chernobyl taint the image
, RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES
SOLAR - solar panels made up of solar cells with conductive silicon. sunlight turned into electrical energy by striking photovoltaic
cells (direct electricity conversion).
→ top are USA, China and India
advantages disadvantages
- sunlight is free - must be south-facing in a location with good sun exposure
- doesn’t produce pollutants - expensive cells
- sun provides most energy when humans awake - needs large amount of land
- efficient on small scale - harmful manufacture process
- saves 500,000 tonnes of CO2 in Barcelona - not efficient large scale
- less than 50% converted to electricity
- sunshine only present 12hrs
TIDAL - motion of tidal water driven by pull of gravity, contains large amounts of kinetic energy which can be harnessed using
turbines. Seawater flows in both directions so tidal generators produce power turning either way.
advantages disadvantages
- tides predictable and reliable - possibly increased salinity
- renewable - disturbed wildlife and migration
- doesn’t emit gases - too expensive for LICs
- long lifespan
- silt build-up
- low running costs
- employment in quaternary sector
- effective at low speeds
HEP - fast flowing water (from a river, or released from a dam) is directed through turbines. The force of the water spins the
turbine’s blades, generating electricity.
→ relatively important in South and Central America (25%)
→ 6% contribution in Africa
→ less than 1% in the Middle East
advantages disadvantages
- once operating they are very cheap and efficient to run - limited number of sustainable reservoirs
- emitting no greenhouse gases - construction releases CO2
- flexible as can adjust water flow and output - vulnerable to drought
- safe as no fuels involved - may harm wildlife
- expensive
- may overflow or experience silt build up
WIND - kinetic energy of wind turns a turbine which uses a generator to convert into electricity.
advantages disadvantages
- clean - relies on subsidies
- sustainable and renewable - noise and visual pollution
- decreasing operating costs - kills birds and bats
- plentiful supply - wind is inconsistent
- free power once infrastructure built - supply can’t rise with demand,
- range of locations available
- cost dropped 6x since 1980
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