Reducing Reliance on Fossil Fuels (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)

Energy Efficiency & Conservation

• Sustainable energy supply should balance supply and demand ensuring that future generations are able to meet their energy needs

• Non-renewable sources will at some point run out so need to be used carefully

• Sustainable energy supply does not cause harm to the environment and should benefit local communities

• Methods that can be used to achieve this include:

  • Reducing waste

  • Using energy supplies more efficiently

  • Development of renewable energy

  • Conservation of energy

Individual energy use and carbon footprints

• Individual carbon footprint can be reduced in a number of ways:

  • Walking or cycling to reduce the use of cars

  • Reducing food miles: buying locally produced and seasonal food

  • Buying an electric or hybrid car

  • Switching off lights when leaving a room and not leaving appliances on standby 

• In people's homes

National reduction in energy demand

• The methods outlined for homes can also be used on a larger scale for businesses and industries

• Incentives can also be offered for actions which reduce energy demand including:

  • Grants or tax reductions to install insulation, solar panels 

  • Financial incentives to swap to hybrid or electric cars

• Legislation can be introduced for building regulations to ensure new buildings are energy efficient

• Smart meters installed to make people more aware of energy use

Transport

• Many governments are encouraging people to buy electric cars

  • In the UK the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned from 2030

• Investment in public transport to reduce the use of cars

  • Reducing the use of diesel trains - UK has a target of net zero rail network by 2050

  • New buses are hybrid or electric

• Promotion of car share with car share lanes and priority parking

• Congestion charging - London has a £15 Congestion charge and an Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) where an additional charge is made on cars who don't meet emission standards

• Building of cycle lanes to encourage safe cycling

• More efficient car and plane engines and aerodynamic car/plane design to reduce fuel use

Technology to increase the efficiency of fossil fuels

• Combined heat and power (CHP) - when power stations generate the electricity they also generate waste heat which can be used to heat homes and businesses

• Carbon capture and storage which removes the carbon produced when burning fossil fuels and stores it underground

• Hybrid and electric cars

• Improved efficiency for electrical appliances

Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

• Countries around the world need to focus on energy supply because:

  • Energy demand will continue to grow and non-renewable resources which provide over 75% of the world's energy are finite

  • Every person and country has a carbon footprint which can be reduced by using the renewable and recyclable energy source

  • More countries are becoming energy insecure

Energy security

• An energy gap is when a country cannot meet the demand for energy using its own resources

• When countries have an energy gap, they have to import energy to meet the demand

• Having an energy gap means that a country is not energy secure

• To be energy secure a country needs an:

  • Uninterrupted supply of energy

  • Affordable supply

  • Accessible supply

• A mix of energy sources means that countries are more likely to be energy secure

• Where countries rely on energy sources from other countries or one main energy source they are less likely to be energy secure

Diversification of energy

• To ensure that the increasing energy demand can be met diversification (using a range of energy sources) is essential

• Diversification includes the use of all energy sources but reducing reliance on non-renewables which will run out

• Examples of diversification include:

  • Hydrogen produces no greenhouse gases or air pollution, currently the cost of production is extremely high and energy is needed to release the hydrogen from water

  • Renewable energy such as wind and solar

  • Recyclable energy sources such as biofuels 

• Renewable and recyclable energy sources may help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make the energy supply more diverse but they have advantages and disadvantages

Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable and Recyclable Energy Sources

Future technology

• As well as the technologies which already exist there are also future technologies such as hydrogen which is currently used in two cars - Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Next

• Fuel cell buses are at the moment 6x the cost of electric buses