Energy Demand and Production (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Energy demand

• Global energy demand has rapidly increased

Causes of increased energy demand

• Population growth and development are the two main causes of the increase in energy demand:

  • The higher demand for food leads to more intensive farming which requires more energy for machines, light and heat

  • Increasing industry requires energy for heating, lighting and machinery

  • There is more transport all of which requires energy in the form of petrol, diesel or electricity

  • Urbanisation increases with development increasing domestic appliances, heating, lighting

  • Increased wealth means people buy more appliances and technology which require energy

  • Advances in technology in energy production and in appliances

    • New technology in energy production means more energy sources are available including nuclear energy, advances in renewable energy

    • Technology advances in wider society affect demand

Patterns of energy demand

• Countries with the highest energy consumption per person tend to be developed countries including Canada, Norway and Saudi Arabia

• Countries with the lowest energy consumption per person are developing countries which are all in Africa and include Niger, Chad and Tanzania

• The main energy sources are fossil fuels which supply 84% of the world's primary energy

• Renewables are increasing but only make up 11% of the energy mix

• Nuclear energy is 4% of the primary energy

• It is estimated that 2.5 billion people still rely on fuelwood as their main source of energy

  • This is mainly in developing and emerging countries which lack the infrastructure to connect people to electricity supply

  • Energy poverty is when people do not have access to modern energy supplies

Environmental concerns

• There are increasing concerns about the environmental impact of non-renewable energy sources and the link to pollution and global warming

• Public concerns about the environmental impact of using fossil fuels has increased pressure on governments

• Legislation about energy production has increased

Energy production

• Energy sources are not evenly distributed across the world

• Some areas produce very little energy due to a lack of natural resources or because they do not have the money to exploit the resources

• The main producers of fossil fuels for primary energy are:

  • USA

  • Canada

  • Norway

  • Russia

  • Australia

  • Middle East

• The world's largest producers are often the largest consumers of energy

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

• The UK has a widening energy gap and is not energy secure because:

  • renewable energy is not as efficient and so cannot replace in full energy from fossil fuels

  • it is cheaper to import fossil fuels than it is to exploit the resources in the UK

• The commitment of many countries to tackling climate change and reducing the use of fossil fuels has increased energy insecurity for many countries

• Energy security can also be affected by:

  • energy sources running out

  • war/conflict

  • natural hazards

  • political disputes

  • cost

  • environmental concerns