Energy supply, demand and insecurity

Energy supply, demand and insecurity

1. Energy sources

   • Fossil fuels
     • Finite, non renewable energy resources
     • Exploitation through quarrying, mining and pumping
     • Coal, natural gas, nuclear fission and crude oil
     • Concerns: contributes GHGs to the atmosphere, CCS is complex, possible health risks (e.g. Chernobyl), difficult disposal of nuclear waste, peak oil?
   • Renewable sources
     • Solar energy, ocean energy, wind energy, HEP, geothermal energy
     • Concerns: takes up a lot of land so destroys habitats, NIMBY, unaesthetically pleasing, expensive, high maintenance costs, locations are limited
   • Recyclable sources
     • Sustainable - e.g. reprocessed uranium and plutonium, biofuels and biomass
     • Renewable stock replenished with careful management
     • Close to being carbon neutral as although they emit carbon dioxide, sources reabsorb it when regrown

2. Energy consumption

   • Factors affecting the use of energy resources
     • Energy availabilty
       • Modern types of energy are either unavailable or inaccessible for some nations lacking the necessary infrastructure
       • Adapting to varying climates can increase energy consumption e.g. air conditioning
       • The highest solar output is found near the equator, but local cloud cover also affect this
       • Poverty and electricity access are inversely related - 2.1 billion still without electricity
     • Energy affordability
       • Often modern energy sources are more expensive than tradition sources like wood and animal dung
       • Rural areas prefer biomass as it is free and readily available
     • Cultural preferences
       • Tradition slows the adoption of modern energy sources - e.g. many people in the UK still use an open coal/wood fire
   • Distribution of energy sources
     • Solar potential
       • High around the equator and between the tropics
     • Wind potential
       • High where the largest fetches are found - Southern ocean, South Pacific ocean, Arctic ocean
     • Wave power
       • Greater than 50 kW/m along the South African coast, coast of New Zealand and South American coast
     • Natural gas reserves
       • 1. Russia, 2. Iran, 3 Qatar
     • Oil reserves
       • 1. Saudi Arabia, 2. Canada, 3. Iran
       • The Middle East is the largest player with the greatest output and reserves - Saudi Arabia accounts for 22% of the world's oil
       • Geopolitical power
     • Coal reserves
       • 1. USA, 2. Russia, 3. China
       • China builds 2 medium coal power stations a week - doubling consumption since 1900
       • China's carbon emissions exceed that of the USA's
     • Nuclear power
       • 1. Australia, 2 Kazakhstan, 3 USA

3. Energy demand

   • Sources of demand
     • Oil
       • Mainly for transport
       • Electricity, industry and commercial/residential use
     • Coal
       • Mainly for electricity
       • Industry and commercial/residential use
     • Gas
       • Mainly for electricity and residential use
       • Transport and industry
     • Biomass
       • Mainly for commercial/residential use
       • Transport, electricity and industrial use
     • Nuclear
       • For generating electricity
     • Hydro
       • For generating electricity
   • Rising consumption
     • Increased demand = increased consumption
     • During the 1900s, demand increased ten fold
     • Rising living standards
     • Population growth
     • Economic growth and industrial change
   • Future trends
     • China and India are expected to have the largest energy demands
     • Western nations may reduce demand with increased energy efficiency due to rising costs
     • Energy consumption in the developing world will double by 2020

4. Energy security

   • Risks
     • Physical
       • Disruption of pathways by natural disasters
       • Exhaustion of reserves
     • Environmental
       • Protests due to environmental damage caused
     • Economic
       • Price spikes
       • Exhaustion of domestic supplies forcing increased imports
     • Geopolitical
       • Political instability in energy-producing regions
       • Disputes over sovereignty
   • Energy Security Index (ESI)
     • Availability
       • Amount and longevity of each nation's oil and gas supplies and the reliance on imports
     • Diversity
       • Range of resources used to meet the energy demand
     • Intensity
       • The degree to which the economy of a nation is dependent on oil and gas
   • Characteristics of risk
     • Heavy importers of oil and gas show high risk
     • Countries with substantial reserves have low risk
     • Medium sized developed nations show medium risk due to their diversity of energy sources
     • The BRICs share a similar risk to the more advanced economies
     • Many African nations have low levels of risk due to low levels of consumption and untapped resources
     • The USA has a very high risk level due to huge consumption and reliance on imports