Energy Consumption

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Factors affecting energy consumption:

Development

Availability

Affordability

Cultural

Climate

HEP:

Availability - needs rivers/large water reserves

Affordability - need the money to develop it - Central Africa has rivers but lacks money

Development - Three Gorges Dam - need to be developed

Climate - precipitation = more rainfall that fills up rivers. No HEP in Saharan Africa because of unpredictable rainfall patterns

Solar Energy:

Would expect to see most solar production in equatorial areas such as Saharan Africa. However energy needs to be transported long distances so lots of energy would be lost

Cultural - Germany and Finland are big believers in renewable energy

Affordability - not all places are able to afford to develop solar energy

Geothermal Energy;

Availability - mainly produced on plate boundaries and hotspots

Affordability - cannot afford technology, expertise, set up to have geothermal power plants

Wind Energy:

Development - being able to develop turbines

Availability - physical space for wind farms, windier out at sea

Culture - people perception - people don't want wind farms in their back garden, not nice to look at (NIMBYism). Germany and Sweden big believers in renewable energy also they don't have enough other resources to create energy

Nuclear Energy:

Availability - lot less geographically dependent - need supply of uranium

Development - Africa and S.E. Asia can't have it - health and safety issues

Culture - USA cold war history