Energy and the environment .

2
 REMEMBER THIS…
The world is faced with an increased need for energy because of an
increasing population, a greater demand by industrialisation and
improved living standards.
Conservation and management of energy resources
Strategies for effective energy use
*Reduce consumption
*Other ways of reducing consumption
*Energy from waste
*Education
*Exploiting existing energy sources
*Transport policies
Development of new resouces
*R e d u c e c o n s u m p tio n
It is important the difference between the potential demand and the available supply.
When this occurs, it means power cuts and, in the case of fuels such a petroleum, the risk of
fuel rationing.
It may be possible to use more equipment and less energy if the equipment uses energy
more efficiently, one example would be to reduce the amount of energy used to heat a
building.
The houses lose heat through a variety of routes, we can reduce this by using a construction
material with good insulation properties will prevent loss of heat
→ Less heat lost will mean less energy is used.
*O th e r w a y s o f re d u c in g c o n s u m p tio n

Electrical devices should be turned off when not in use.

More energy-efficient devices should be bought, if newer more efficient versions
are used there can be a significant saving in the amount of energy used.
Developments in alternative fuels for vehicles and further developments in engine
technology are still needed to meet rising demand.
*En e rg y fro m w a s te
The consumption of finite resources such as fossil fuels can be reduced by reusing existing
materials to extract the energy from them before they are thrown away.
Anaerobic digestion is the breaking down of organic waste using bacteria. This process takes
place in a sealed container and produces methane, a flammable gas that can be used for a
variety of heating purposes.
The food-processing industries use large quantities of cooking oils in the preparation and
manufacture of foods. These vegetable oils, once used, need to be disposed of. Schemes in
many countries exist to collect these oils and recycle them into biofuels suitable for running
vehicles.
*Ed u c a tio n
While new technologies and innovative designs can be developed, they will have
little impact unless the benefits of the technology is communicated to others.

Investment in new equipment for the home or factory might be expensive, and
more expensive than a traditional method.

The educational message must be that significant savings in energy bills can be
made over the longer term by reducing energy use, even if there is an initial cost.
*Exp lo itin g e xis tin g e n e rg y s o u rc e s
In many situations the economic cost has considerable influence. Some countries, for
example, have large coal reserves but are not exploiting them because the cost of
extraction is too high and it is perhaps cheaper to import fuel from elsewhere to provide
the energy needed. As world resources become scarcer, the price for the fuel will rise,
making coal extraction a suitable option in the future.
Renewable sources are not always consistently available, presenting problems for
maintaining a consistent supply. The current solution is to use a renewable source, for
example wind turbines on a wind farm, when possible and have a fossil fuel-powered
power station available to supply energy when conditions are not right for wind
generation
*Tra n s p o rt p o lic ie s
Governments have a large part to play in regulating the use of transport and encouraging
more efficient use, which will mean less impact on the world oil reserves and improve air
quality.
Current government initiatives include:
*regulations regarding the quality of exhaust gases from vehicles, and fuel efficiency
*restrictions on where vehicles may go
*taxation on fuels
*surcharges for travelling to certain places, such as cities, at peak times
*improving public transport so it is easier and cheaper to use than cars
*improving routes for cyclists and pedestrians
*encouraging car-sharing

*restricting when cars can be used,

*providing grants to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles

*providing grants for vehicles using cleaner technology, such as electric-

powered vehicles.
Development of new resources

There are considerable concerns that the worldwide increase in demand for energy will not be met
by the current development of renewable technologies, putting greater pressure on the finite
supplies of fossil fuels.
International agreements have also prevented the exploitation of potentially large supplies of oil, gas
and coal in Antarctica, because the environmental impact would be too great and the damage to the
ecosystem irreparable.
Research has identified potential sources of fuels
that so far have not been utilised.
The most prominent and controversial of
these uses a technique known as fracking
The three components each serve a different purpose:
-water is plentiful, easy to handle and can be pumped under pressure
-chemicals are added to assist the process and to stop the blockage of pipes, but
many of them toxic
-sand is used to keep the cracks in the rock open as they occur, allowing the oil and
gas to escape, it is sometimes referred to as the proppant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tudal_4x4F0
Why the controversy of fracking?