Generation of Electricity From Renewable Sources PDF

**GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES** Importance of Renewable energy sources - Renewable energy are energy sources which are **infinite** and will not run out. They include - Hydroelectric - Wave/tidal - Wind - Solar - Geothermal - Biomass Renewable energy is incre...

**GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES** Importance of Renewable energy sources - Renewable energy are energy sources which are **infinite** and will not run out. They include - Hydroelectric - Wave/tidal - Wind - Solar - Geothermal - Biomass Renewable energy is increasingly important in the global energy mix. This is due to: - Non-renewable fossil fuels will at some point run out and so they need to be replaced with another energy source - The use of non-renewable fuels is damaging to the environment. i. Fossil fuels when burnt release greenhouse gases and the sulphur dioxide released causes acid rain ii. Mining and drilling for fossil fuels can destroy habitats and damage the surrounding environment - Increasing awareness of the impact of using fossil fuels has resulted in international pressure to reduce their use - Countries wanting to reduce their reliance on imports of energy sources and improve their energy security ### **Advantages and disadvantages** All renewable energy sources have advantages and disadvantages +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | **Energy source** | **Advantages** | **Disadvantages** | +=======================+=======================+=======================+ | **Hydroelectric** | - No greenhouse gas | - Large areas of | | | emissions | land are flooded | | | | behind the dam | | | - Controls flooding | | | | downstream | - Dam traps | | | | sediment which | | | - Often in sparsely | can affect | | | populated areas | ecosystems. | | | | downstream | | | - May provide water | | | | storage for | - Visual pollution | | | irrigation and | | | | domestic use | - People and | | | | settlements may | | | | have to be | | | | relocated | | | | | | | | - Expensive to | | | | build and | | | | maintain | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | **Wave/Tidal** | - No greenhouse gas | - Expensive to | | | emissions | build and | | | | maintain | | | - No air pollution | | | | | - Can affect marine | | | - Has the potential | ecosystems | | | to produce large | | | | amounts of energy | - Few suitable | | | | sites | | | - Reliable source | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | **Wind** | - No greenhouse gas | - Not reliable, | | | emissions | only works when | | | | the wind is | | | - No air pollution | strong enough but | | | | not too severe. | | | - Can be small or | | | | large scale  | - Visual pollution | | | | | | | - Cheap to run | - Noise pollution  | | | | | | | - Can be on land or | - Many turbines are | | | offshore | needed to produce | | | | the same energy | | | | as an average | | | | coal fired power | | | | station | | | | | | | | - May affect bird | | | | migration | | | | patterns or kill | | | | birds who fly | | | | into the moving | | | | blades | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | **Solar** | - No greenhouse gas | - Expensive to | | | emissions  | install | | | | | | | - No air pollution | - Not reliable, | | | | only works when | | | - Can be small or | it is sunny | | | large scale  | | | | | - Large numbers | | | - Can be used in | needed to produce | | | most locations | energy | | | | | | | - Can be | - Uses large areas | | | incorporated into | of land | | | building design | | | | | | | | - Technology is | | | | improving and | | | | reducing cost | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | **Geothermal** | - No CO~2 ~gases | - Expensive | | | | | | | - Lots of potential | - Emits sulphuric | | | sites | gases | | | | | | | - Reliable  | - High temperatures | | | | cause maintenance | | | - Can produce large | issues | | | amounts of energy | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | **Biomass** | - Uses waste or | - Air pollution | | | biofuels which | | | | regrow | - Produces | | | | greenhouse gases | | | - Available in most | | | | locations | - Expensive | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ **GLOBAL ECONOMY** The economy means the range of human activities concerned with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. The economy of a country includes all the different types of jobs that people in a country do. There are four main types of employment sectors. 1. Primary sector 2. Secondary 3. Tertiary 4. Quaternary **Primary** sector involves the production or extraction of *raw materials* and includes forestry, farming, fishing and mining. **Secondary sector** involves the manufacturing of goods. For example, the north west of England used to have a thriving textile industry making cloth from cotton, China has a thriving manufacturing sector producing electronics, and Germany is one of the largest manufacturer of cars. **Tertiary industry** involves providing services to people, for example a teacher or a doctor. **Quaternary industry** is the newest sector and focuses on *knowledge-based industries* or high-tech industries such as ICT (information and communication technologies) and research and development. n image with an oil rig labelled as primary production and extrac Where are the different types of jobs located? Primary jobs are found where [the natural resources are located], so a coal mine, where there are seams of coal, a farm where the land, soil and climate is suited to growing a crop. Secondary jobs are located mostly places where the [raw materials for the product being made] are located. Tertiary jobs are often in [towns and cities] where many people live who need services. **Change in the UK's economic structure** Screen%20Shot%202024-10-25%20at%209.14.08%20AM.png In the year 2001, the predominant economic structure was tertiary showing 75% while in 2015 the tertiary sector shows an increase at a rate of 78.9%. This depicts UK's economy mostly relies on the tertiary sector. **Reasons for the decline in primary and secondary sector.** This decline is also known as deindustrialisation, and has been happening since the 1980s. One reason for this deindustrialisation [is the increase in food imports, mechanisation of farming and the consequent decline in agricultural activity in the UK]. In addition, raw materials such as coal are in abundance and are more affordable overseas, and are therefore [imported], reducing these primary industries in the UK. The increase in competition from emerging and developing countries (EDCs)* *(particularly China) and cheaper transportation costs has caused manufacturing, such as textiles to be outsourced. This has caused *secondary* industries in the UK to close. ### **Growth in services** There has been a rise in the importance of the service industries - particularly the *quaternary* sector, also known as knowledge-based industries (KBI). This is as a result of the growth of financial services based in London as well as the development of new KBI jobs such as web design. **Phases of industry** What industry or industries a country focuses on changes over time and can be shown using the **Clark Fisher model**. The model is split into three phases: 1. The *pre-industrial* phase -- a country is mostly focused on the [primary sector] and the main activity is likely to be [agriculture]. 2. The industrial phase -- secondary and tertiary sectors increase in importance. Primary sector activities start to decline. For example, in cities such as Manchester and later Liège in Belgium during the *Industrial Revolution*. 3. The *post-industrial* phase -- manufacturing starts to decline as the tertiary sector becomes the most important sector and *quaternary industries* start to develop. Only a very small percentage of the overall population will now be involved in primary industries.