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Fossil fuel vs renewable energy sources in UK
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The UK has a constantly increasing energy demand; rising population in the UK and, since industrial revolution in 19th century, technological advances have rendered older “fuel-less” technologies obsolete. Where the UK sources its own energy from is becoming increasingly significant as indigenous energy reserves diminish, not to mention the implications of “peak oil” of worldwide resources.
Figure 1 UK Energy Demand Variation 1970-2001 (DTI, 2001)
Figure 2 UK Energy Mix 1990-2006 (Dukes, 2008)
Figure 1 displays the variation of the UK energy supply a period of 16 years. In these years, the use of coal has significantly dropped. Closure of many UK based coal mines and an EU commitment for reduced Green House Gas (GHG) emissions has discouraged UK demand for coal as a primary energy source. Since the total energy demand has continued to increase, replacement energy sources have been required. The largest increase in primary energy source has been from natural gas. Meanwhile the proportion energy from Nuclear power, Oil and other sources of energy have remained relatively constant throughout the 16 years of energy consumption; suggesting that little development exists within these areas. We acknowledge this to be untrue, with the development of wind farms, solar energy and geothermal, but relative to increasing demand the contribution from renewable sources has been extremely difficult with fossil fuels and gas remaining the cheaper fuel to meet the UK energy demands.
Current renewable sources in detail:
European Summit on 09 March 2007 UK signed the legally-binding commitments for an EU member and states to achieve the overall 20% by 2020 targets were announced.
Country 2005 Actual 2020 Target
GBR 1.3% 15%...
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...d geothermal would result in both a substantial contribution to UK energy demand and requirements for fossil fuels thereby inducing a reduction in GHG emissions.
References:
Works Cited
energy demand and requirements for fossil fuels thereby inducing a reduction in GHG emissions.
References:
Dept. of Trade and Industry, 2001, Energy Consumption in the UK
DECC, 2008, Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics (DUKES)
Bernedes, 2003, The contribution of biomass in the future global energy supply: a review of 17 studies
Hoogwijk, 2000, A review of assessments on the future global contribution of biomass energy
UKREC, 2010, The UK bio-energy resource base to 2050: estimates, assumptions, and uncertainties
Palmer, 2010, Hydro Power Projections Report
TSEC-BIOSYS, 2006-2009, A whole systems approach to bioenergy demand and supply in the UK
In the United States we have been looking into alternative energies to reduce our dependence on oil and help reduce our carbon footprint. One method the EPA has come out in support of is ethanol production. Ethanol is considered a green fuel because it recycles the burned carbon each time new crops are grown. In theory ethanol is a good stepping stone between using gasoline and zero emission power sources. However biofuels are still young technology that has many problems before it can be useful. The EPA is in full support of biofuels and has mandated that by 2020, 36 billion gallons of biofuels are to be produced in America. Currently almost all of America biofuels comes in the form of corn based ethanol which is extremely inefficient and can cause sustainability problems. Due to this reason only 15 billion gallons of the mandated biofuels can be form corn based ethanol. The rest of the biofuel must come from non-corn based alternatives such as cellulosic ethanol which the EPA projects to create all most all of the 21 billion remaining gallons of ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol uses the cellulose that is in all plants matter to create ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is far more efficient than corn ethanol because you can use the whole plant and it sets no limitation on what type of plant matter can be used. Even though the EPA projects that these number will be achievable, due to current setbacks and efficiencies cellulosic ethanol will not be able to meet this output within the time constraints and a goal of 2034 years would be more realistic in the long run.
Climate change has been a major topic of debate in the UK over the recent years. The need to reduce the impact of CO2 and other Green House Gases (GHG) on the environment has pushed the UK Government to enact legislations (e.g. Climate Change Act 2008) and impose strict regulations on businesses to reduce emissions. These actions have forced businesses across a wide range of industrial sectors to rethink and rework their strategies of utilising energy, transport and land in an efficient manner, which in turn has lead to innovative and at the same time simple yet effective methods to reduce carbon emissions.
The Web. 4 July 2011. Sims, Ralph E. H. et al. “Chapter 4: Energy Supply.” Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007.
Cushman, Lynd, Nichols, Wyman. “Fuel Ethanol from Cellulosic Biomass.” Science. March 1991. Vol 251 (4999):1321
Introduction:The idea of biofuels is a old concept, reaching as far as the ending of the 19th century. Solid in its idea but flawed in its presentation. Biofuels are a alternative energy to fossil fuels that are made from natural methods such as plants and crops and are key in solving the apparent flaws of fossil fuels. While fossil fuels have been in use for over a century, Biofuels have now risen to the popularity and been exposed to the press. At one point of time biofuel were being considered by some of the most brilliant minds ever in human history such as Henry Ford and Rudolph Diesel who believed that biofuels had the potential to be the new evolution s on only to reappear a century later. Now the world faces the struggles of global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels slowly dimming by day. Throughout the last century biofuels have proven to have a place in our society as a new alternative fuel source. Specializing in Being Natural and healthier than fossil fuels, biofuels have had a rough beginning against its competitor due to key situations such as pricing, Side effects, to fuel power. However the idea was passed on a to the later generations, and continued to pasand prolong usage. However through the last decade they have been highly advertised by politicians and Government officials claiming it to be the future of a powerful working society, and to help in making a new energy free world. Through belief Some even claiming that “By 2050, a new generation of sustainable biofuels could provide over a quarter of the world’s total transport fuel, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency” (last name). With such improvement biofuels should be the obvious answer to providing a better future to th...
...e form burning oil, coal and other fossil fuels. Cavanagh said that “Nuclear power is dying a slow death in the market place, which is what matters in determining its future. Scientist in “Pandora’s Promise” claim that globally consumption could double by 2015. They said that the planet is heating up and the ocean is rising, and if the ice sheets start to disintegrate, then is unstoppable. They said that the best thing to avoid that is nuclear power. Coal is the most source used of electric energy, coal and nuclear energy contribute 50 percent of the power in Texas. Even though nuclear power plants generates like 20% of the electricity in
Woodfuel is not a new form of fuel; historically wood has been used as fuel for millennia with many civilisations relying on it as a source of energy. Even today the global south still use wood to produce heat. At the turn of the 19th century wood in the UK was no longer the main source of energy, but instead fossil fuel, which now outlines and dominates the way we live today. Furthermore with a growing population since World War II, much of the UK agricultural land has been used for conservation schemes and agricultural harvest only. Nevertheless with the rising concern of climate change, woodlands are now emerging to be used again for the use of renewable energy. Woodfuel in the UK is available as sawdust, pellets, sheets, charcoal chips, and firewood. The particular type used depends upon factors such as application, quality, quantity and source. When we view the geography of woodfuel in the UK we can view it from a broader perspective that reflects the discipline of geography. Sustainability is a way which tries to combine earth landscapes, environments and people together. We view sustainability “through the so called ‘three pillars’, namely economic, social and environmental or ecological” (Gregory et al 2009: 738) and it is these pillars which are to “be used as a benchmark for goals in which we must achieve” (O’ Riordan 2004: 245) so that we can use todays resources without compromising future generations supplies. Due to greater awareness of climate change and the need to use low carbon, renewable source of energy, this essay will predominately focus on the sustainability of woodfuel in the UK.
...ch is used to replace natural gas. He also stated that, among the equipment used to burn the biofuel, the suspension burner have the ability to exceed 99% efficiency and whole-tree burner can reduce the cost of harvesting and handling woody fuels by about 35% (Brown, 2003). Moreover, the usage of bio-energy in long term is to provide a degree of ecological balance and climate change, avoid acid rain, reduce soil erosion and minimize water pollution (Gevorkian, 2007). Therefore, biomass is environmental friendly like solar energy. Based on the research that has been carried out regarding the synthesis of gas from biomass, the gas gasifies in the internal combustion engine. The relative energy density of synthesis gas is higher than the fossil fuel under certain conditions. In addition, the relative flame speed of synthesis gas can reduce the time for spark ignition.
In addition to the fact that solar, wind, and hydro power are local resources, they are also emission free resources. Emissions and pollution are a key concern with traditional power sources. The coal-fired plants that dominate U.S. energy production also produce more emissions than any other energy source. “Em...
The Green Deal is a policy launched by the Department of for Energy and Climate Change in the United Kingdom that aims to take a large step towards greater energy efficiency. This measure was initially discussed in 2011 but officially launched in June of 2012. The United Kingdom has an energy consumption rate of nearly 3000 kgoe per annum, which is reasonably high (See Appendix 1). The deal ultimately provides consumers with energy efficient techniques that would cost less than standard equipment in the long term. The Green Deal encourages consumers to do this as it provides them with loans, which can be paid back through the energy bills (Richards). Using energy inefficiently is a negative externality as the activity of energy wastage imposes costs on society, as there is a shortage of nonrenewable energy. There is a high social cost, as the private cost is high as energy wastage is inefficient and external costs include the cost to society by making energy scarce. This also eventually is the path to sustainable development, which is one of the macroeconomic objectives of every economy (Pettinger). At the end of this analysis, this report will directly address the research question to make a concluding statement, “To what extent was the UK government successful in reducing the externality of energy consumption in the United Kingdom through the Green Deal?” The government of the United Kingdom believed this measure would be effective in reducing the externality of energy consumption.
Energy can be put into two broad categories Renewable energy and none renewable energy. Renewable energy sources can be reused continually as they are abundantly found in nature. All of them are non-polluting but devices used to collect the energy may impact the environment adversely. They are free but producing storage equipment or converting them into another form of energy may be costly.
In chapter thirteen of our book, Environment by Raven and Berg, it shows us just how important renewable energy sources are. Currently the United States of America thrives on the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power. The main problems with these types of fuel are that they are both limited and can be extremely harmful to our environment. They cause global warming, air pollution, acid rain, and oil spills (Environment), and not only that, but in the grand scheme of things, these sources really aren’t even that cheap of a fuel source. There are many alternatives to these all but outdated fuel sources.
With the depletion of fossil fuel resources comes speculations and debates about alternative energy sources. The world, including the Philippines, is practically dependent on a dwindling non-renewable source of energy. Today, experts are debating about and considering three options: Nuclear, Solar, or Wind Energy. Everyone has been accustomed to the bad image of nuclear energy as a result of the Chernobyl and Fukushima incidents above all others. The popular belief is that radiation from a nuclear meltdown is very harmful to humans and other living things—which is true—and that nuclear power plants are very dangerous and not ideal—which is not. According to Smith, et. al (n.d), all the nuclear disasters that ever occurred were caused by human error and natural disasters like tsunamis, not one because of system failure. Putting the false beliefs aside, with proper engineering and adequate maintenance by experts, a nuclear power plant is a very ideal and viable source of energy for the following reasons:
In addition to, a huge issue with non-renewable energy is the fact that we get most of it from foreign countries. According to a recent study done by Energy Information Administration, “58% of our petroleum comes from outside the country”, this means as some speculate, that o...
middle of paper ... ... g the Energy Revolution." Foreign Affairs. Nov/Dec 2010: 111. SIRS Issues Researcher.