7.1 ENERGY CHOICES AND SECURITY
Significant ideas
● There is a range of different energy sources available to societies that vary in their sustainability,
availability, cost and socio-political implications.
● The choice of energy sources is controversial and complex. Energy security is an important factor in
making energy choices.
Applications and skills
● Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources.
● Discuss the factors that affect the choice of energy sources adopted by different societies.
● Discuss the factors which affect energy security.
● Evaluate an energy strategy for a given society.
Understandings
1. Fossil fuels contribute to the majority of humankind’s energy supply, and they vary widely in the
impacts of their production and their emissions; their use is expected to increase to meet global
energy demand.
2. Sources of energy with lower carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels include renewable energy
(solar, biomass, hydropower, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal) and their use is expected to
increase. Nuclear power is a low carbon low-emission non-renewable resource but is controversial
due to the radioactive waste it produces and the potential scale of any accident.
3. Energy security depends on an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy that provides a
degree of independence. An inequitable availability and uneven distributions of energy sources may
lead to conflict.
4. The energy choices adopted by a society may be influenced by availability; sustainability; scientific
and technological developments; cultural attitudes; and political, economic and environmental
factors. These in turn affect energy security and independence.
5. Improvements in energy efficiencies and energy conservation can limit growth in energy demand
and contribute to energy security.
Energy security
Energy security depends on an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy that provides a degree of
independence.
,The energy choices made by a society depend on many factors:
● Availability of supply
○ within national borders or imported.
○ resources within or near to a country are better than those further away.
● Technological developments
○ finding new sources of energy.
○ higher technology may require expensive training of the workforce.
● Politics
○ can lead to conflict over energy supplies or choices for increased security.
● Economics
○ globalisation can make it uneconomic to produce your own power and cheaper to import it.
○ more expensive energy sources have less likelihood of it been chosen.
● Cultural attitudes
○ culture fears based on the fear of nuclear accidents and waste have made it unpopular to
choose.
○ culture and tradition mean that non-renewable resources are favored, and the places with
renewable energy resources are limited.
● Sustainability
○ only renewable energy sources are sustainable yet account for a small percentage of the world
energy supply.
● Environmental considerations
○ backlash against nuclear power generation.
Energy Security example: Ukraine–Russia gas disputes
After the break-up of the USSR, Russia exported gas to Ukraine at below-market prices. Some 80% of Russian
gas flows through Ukraine to European destinations. In 2006, Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine as they had not
paid their debts and were using gas intended for the rest of Europe. The dispute continued until 2010.
Energy sources
Renewable – replenished naturally and over relatively short periods of time.
E.g. solar, biomass, hydropower, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal.
Non-renewable – available in limited supplies.
E.g. coal, oil, gas, nuclear power, etc.
, Conservation and efficiency
Energy conservation can limit growth in energy demand and contribute to energy security.
Energy efficiency is the goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services.
Adv.
● enhanced environmental standards
● reduced energy use and emission of carbon dioxide
● reduction of waste
● improved efficiency of walls and windows
● energy-efficient appliances
● improved building material
Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms,
containing energy.
● energy-rich carbon compounds and hydrocarbons such as coal, natural gas and petroleum.
When will they run out?
● coal in 230 years
● gas in 170 years
● oil in 100 years.
Energy consumption
We are in an energy crisis yet continue to use non-renewable fuels at an increasing rate.
Possible future alternatives:
● hydrogen economy where hydrogen is the fuel that provides energy for transport, industry and
electrical generation.
● nuclear fusion involves extracting heavy water (deuterium) from water and fusing two hydrogen atoms
to make helium.
Evaluation of energy sources
Advantages Disadvantages
Fossil fuels
● cheap ● un-sustainable
● readily available technology ● pollution and contribution to
climate change
Significant ideas
● There is a range of different energy sources available to societies that vary in their sustainability,
availability, cost and socio-political implications.
● The choice of energy sources is controversial and complex. Energy security is an important factor in
making energy choices.
Applications and skills
● Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different energy sources.
● Discuss the factors that affect the choice of energy sources adopted by different societies.
● Discuss the factors which affect energy security.
● Evaluate an energy strategy for a given society.
Understandings
1. Fossil fuels contribute to the majority of humankind’s energy supply, and they vary widely in the
impacts of their production and their emissions; their use is expected to increase to meet global
energy demand.
2. Sources of energy with lower carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels include renewable energy
(solar, biomass, hydropower, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal) and their use is expected to
increase. Nuclear power is a low carbon low-emission non-renewable resource but is controversial
due to the radioactive waste it produces and the potential scale of any accident.
3. Energy security depends on an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy that provides a
degree of independence. An inequitable availability and uneven distributions of energy sources may
lead to conflict.
4. The energy choices adopted by a society may be influenced by availability; sustainability; scientific
and technological developments; cultural attitudes; and political, economic and environmental
factors. These in turn affect energy security and independence.
5. Improvements in energy efficiencies and energy conservation can limit growth in energy demand
and contribute to energy security.
Energy security
Energy security depends on an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy that provides a degree of
independence.
,The energy choices made by a society depend on many factors:
● Availability of supply
○ within national borders or imported.
○ resources within or near to a country are better than those further away.
● Technological developments
○ finding new sources of energy.
○ higher technology may require expensive training of the workforce.
● Politics
○ can lead to conflict over energy supplies or choices for increased security.
● Economics
○ globalisation can make it uneconomic to produce your own power and cheaper to import it.
○ more expensive energy sources have less likelihood of it been chosen.
● Cultural attitudes
○ culture fears based on the fear of nuclear accidents and waste have made it unpopular to
choose.
○ culture and tradition mean that non-renewable resources are favored, and the places with
renewable energy resources are limited.
● Sustainability
○ only renewable energy sources are sustainable yet account for a small percentage of the world
energy supply.
● Environmental considerations
○ backlash against nuclear power generation.
Energy Security example: Ukraine–Russia gas disputes
After the break-up of the USSR, Russia exported gas to Ukraine at below-market prices. Some 80% of Russian
gas flows through Ukraine to European destinations. In 2006, Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine as they had not
paid their debts and were using gas intended for the rest of Europe. The dispute continued until 2010.
Energy sources
Renewable – replenished naturally and over relatively short periods of time.
E.g. solar, biomass, hydropower, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal.
Non-renewable – available in limited supplies.
E.g. coal, oil, gas, nuclear power, etc.
, Conservation and efficiency
Energy conservation can limit growth in energy demand and contribute to energy security.
Energy efficiency is the goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services.
Adv.
● enhanced environmental standards
● reduced energy use and emission of carbon dioxide
● reduction of waste
● improved efficiency of walls and windows
● energy-efficient appliances
● improved building material
Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms,
containing energy.
● energy-rich carbon compounds and hydrocarbons such as coal, natural gas and petroleum.
When will they run out?
● coal in 230 years
● gas in 170 years
● oil in 100 years.
Energy consumption
We are in an energy crisis yet continue to use non-renewable fuels at an increasing rate.
Possible future alternatives:
● hydrogen economy where hydrogen is the fuel that provides energy for transport, industry and
electrical generation.
● nuclear fusion involves extracting heavy water (deuterium) from water and fusing two hydrogen atoms
to make helium.
Evaluation of energy sources
Advantages Disadvantages
Fossil fuels
● cheap ● un-sustainable
● readily available technology ● pollution and contribution to
climate change
