energy, supply and demand

energy, supply and demand

1. Energy security means to have access to reliable and affordable energy

2. Factors influencing energy supply

   • Physical
     • large scale HEP developments require high precipitation, steep sided valleys and impermeable rock
     • The availability of biomass varies due to climate
     • Large scale power stations require stable geological foundations
     • deposits of fossil fuels are only found in certain locations
     • tidal power requires large tidal ranges
     • wind power needs high average wind speed all year
     • solar power needs large number of days of sun each year
   • Economic
     • cost of reserch and development
     • On shore deposits of oil are cheaper than off shore deposits
     • when energy prices rise firms spend more on development and exploitation
     • cheapest and most accessible reserves are exploited first
     • potential HEP sites close to existing infrastructure are most economical to build
     • in developing countries FDI is needed for energy resource development
   • Political
     • governments may require firms to produce a certain abut of renewable energy
     • legislation regarding emissions will favour the use of low sulphur coal
     • International agreements have influence on energy decisions
       • e.g. Kyoto Protocol
     • countries who want to develop nuclear energy requires permission from from the atomic energy agency
     • HEP schemes on international rivers requires the agreement of all nations involved

3. Classification

   • non-renewable
     • expolitation will lead to their eventual exhaustion
     • natural gas
       • seen as a cleaner fossil fuel
       • production has increased due to unconventional methods
         • e.g. fracking
     • coal
       • most widely distributed and abundant fossil fuel
       • in 2009 43% of coal was produced by China
       • more competitive pricing due to technology and transportation improvements
     • oil
       • reserves provide significant economic and political power
         • e.g. oil cartel OPEC
         • Middle east has 77.2% of oil reserves
         • continuing to find new reserves
           • e.g in Africa and South America
   • renewable
     • resources from flows of nature which are continuous and can be reused
     • Biomass
     • solar farms
     • offshore wind
     • tidal power
     • onshore wind
   • recyclable
     • e.g. reprocessed uranium and plutonium from nuclear power plants and heat recovery systems
     • nuclear

4. Combined heat and power

   • waste heat in electricty generation plants can be captured and supplied to local homes and businesses

5. UK

   • amount of electricity from gas fell by 18.1% between 2011-2012
     • renewables increased 2.6%
     • nuclear increased by 3.4%
   • UK us at risk of energy insecurity due to the closure of old power stations and few being built as replacements.
     • Also it is due to growing due to increase cost of renewable energies
   • potential for geothermal energy in Devon on Cornwall
     • it is cheap to run
     • could account for 6% of UKs energy

6. Energy security

   • risk
     • environmental protests about damage and exploitation
     • sudden rises in cost of energy, or exhustion od omestic resources that lead to more imports of high priced energy
     • political instability in energy exploiting regions
     • exhaustion of reserves or disruption of supple lines due to natural hazards
   • measuring energy security
     • availability - e.g. reliance on imports, amount and longevitiy of fossil fuel supplies
     • Intensity - the degree to which the economy is dependent on oil and gas
     • diversity - the range of energy resources used in meeting energy demand
   • level of risk
     • Extreme: ESI values less than 2.5 including northern Africa and South America
     • High risk: ESI values 2.5-5 developed countries like Japan and USA
     • medium risk: ESI values 5-7.5, europe, southeast asia and oceania
     • low risk: ESI values >7.5 includes Canada, Russia, Norway and stable middle eastern states
   • characteristics of risk
     • medium risk in developed countries due to the diversity of energy sources
     • level of risk in emerging economies is similar to advanced economies
     • USA has higher risk due to higher consumption and imports that overshadow its own reserves
     • countries with large reserves show low risk
     • heavy importers of oil and gas show high risk
     • low risk in most african states due to low consumption or existance of untapped resources