Energy Source & Mixes (AQA A Level Geography)

Sources of Energy

• Energy sources are categorised into stock or flow and primary or secondary

• Primary energy is a form of energy usually found in nature that has not undergone a conversion process - wood and coal

  • Some primary sources need to undergo a transformation process in order to be used, such as petrol

• Secondary energy is energy that has come from a conversion process to generate a second form of energy, for example electricity

• An example of this process would be coal that is combusted in a thermal power station to produce electricity

  • Coal can also be burned directly to heat homes

Demand & Mixing

Components of demand

• The concepts of primary and secondary energy can be applied to different sectors of the economy

  • Domestic:

    • Natural gas can heat homes

    • Can be burned and converted to electricity for domestic use

  • Manufacturing and service industry:

    • Oil can be used to heat offices and warehouses

    • Can be burned to drive machinery or converted to electricity for multiple uses

  • Agriculture:

    • Fossil fuels can be used to heat greenhouses and storage sheds

    • Can be used to drive farm machinery and tools or converted to electricity to drive pumps for irrigation

  • Transport:

    • Refined oil in various forms has traditionally driven the world’s transport vehicles

    • Increasing use of battery and electric powered vehicles from renewable sources

• The amount of energy supplied and consumed by each sector varies

• The type of energy supplied and consumed varies spatially, due to several factors:

  • Countries at different levels of development will use energy in different ways

    • HDEs use more electricity

    • LDE development will increase demand for electricity

  • Availability of different energy sources

  • Relative cost of different energy supplies - price of oil is very volatile

  • Government policies on energy

    •  Most countries are attempting to reduce carbon output which means converting to more renewable energy

• This leads to a contrasting energy mix within and between countries 

Energy mixes in contrasting settings

• The UK’s energy mix is similar to other HDEs

• The UK’s energy mix is relatively diversified

• Dominant primary energy sources are: 

  • Oil

  • Natural gas

  • Nuclear

  • A growing renewables sector

    • Driven by wind through utilising the climatic conditions of the island

• Coal has become less significant due to:

  • Government policies favouring cleaner fuels

  • Cost versus profits from mining, make non viable as a fuel

• Oil remains important for transport

• Natural gas reserves in the North Sea provide a degree of self-sufficiency

  • Compared to Germany, where oil and gas are almost exclusively imported

• Total energy use remains high (typical of an HDE)

  • Approximately 180 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) in 2015 (for a population of approx. 67 million)

  • However, this has fallen by 20 MTOE from 1971 

    • Mainly due to conversion from fossil fuels to renewables following political thirst for sustainability

• Fluctuations in total energy use changes over time

  • A result of market changes (price)

  • And variations in economic stability (boom and bust)

    • e.g. there was a trough after the 2008 global recession

• Nigeria’s energy mix is similar to other LDEs

• Nigeria’s energy mix is less diverse than the UK’s

• The dominant primary energy source is biofuels

  • Mainly due to burning of firewood for domestic heating and cooking

  • Typical in a country with a low HDI (5.3 in 2021)

• The other two main sources are oil and natural gas

  • Oil and gas fields were discovered in the Niger Delta in the late 1950s

  • A large oil and gas industry has developed

  • Today Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa

  • Despite this, domestic use of oil is limited as much of the oil and gas is exported by large TNCs

  • This is a typical situation for resource-rich LDEs

• Large growth use of energy in recent years due to rapid population growth

  • 55 million in 1971 has become 220 million in 2023

• Total energy use remains relatively low, despite a large population

  • Approx. 140 MTOE in 2015

  • Typical of an LDE

• Renewables sector is insignificant

  • Only a small amount of HEP

  • Due to high costs

  • Compared to abundant and relatively cheap fossil fuel supply