3.3.1 Energy resources: renewable and non-renewable
Energy resources differ in renewal, reliability and impact
Definition
Renewable energy resource
A renewable energy resource is replenished naturally at least as quickly as it is used, so it will not run out through use on a human timescale.
Definition
Non-renewable energy resource
A non-renewable energy resource is finite and is used faster than natural processes can replace it.
- Resources provide heating, transport and electricity but differ in reliability, response time, output, impact, location and cost.
- Renewable resources often depend on weather conditions and have lower efficiency rates non-renewable energy resources.
Fossil fuels and nuclear fuel are non-renewable
- Fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas.
- They can be stored and burned when required, giving controllable output.
- Combustion releases carbon dioxide and can release sulfur dioxide and particulates; extraction and transport can also damage habitats.
- Nuclear fuel produces large continuous outputs with no carbon dioxide from fuel combustion during operation.
- Nuclear stations are expensive to build and decommission, create long-lived radioactive waste and require strict safety systems.
Biofuel depends on sustainable replacement
- Biofuel is made from recent living material such as crops, wood or organic waste.
- Plants absorb carbon dioxide while growing, but cultivation, processing and transport can create net emissions.
- Fuel crops can compete with food production and use land, water and fertiliser.
- Biofuel is renewable only when new biomass grows at least as quickly as it is harvested.
Wind, water and sunlight are renewable flows
- Wind has no fuel emissions during operation but is intermittent and needs exposed sites.
- Hydroelectricity can start quickly and give large output, but dams flood land and alter rivers.
- Tidal power is predictable, but suitable coastal sites are limited and barrages disrupt estuaries.
- Solar energy produces electricity or heats water, but output varies with daylight, season and cloud.
- Manufacture and construction still have environmental impacts even when operation uses no fuel.
Choose resources for the required use
- Transport favours energy-dense fuels or stored electricity because vehicles carry their supply.
- Heating can use gas, electricity, biomass, solar thermal energy or heat pumps.
- Electricity networks combine resources because demand changes and no single source is ideal everywhere.
Example
- A windy coastal community could use wind power to reduce operational emissions.
- Intermittency means it also needs storage, backup generation or connection to a wider grid.
- Tidal output is more predictable but requires a suitable site and may damage estuary habitats.
Exam technique
- Compare both resources against the same criterion, such as reliability or emissions.
- Separate operational emissions from construction, extraction and decommissioning impacts.
- Link local conditions to output and then to demand.
Common Mistake
- Nuclear fuel is non-renewable.
- Biofuel is not automatically carbon neutral.
- Renewable resources can still cause environmental damage.
An energy mix balances constraints
- Renewables reduce dependence on finite fuels, but variable output can require storage and backup.
- Non-renewable stations can provide controllable output, but create fuel, emission or waste problems.
- The best mix depends on geography, demand, technology, acceptable impacts and timescale.
Self review
- Define a renewable resource.
- Give two advantages and two disadvantages of fossil fuels.
- Why is biofuel not automatically carbon neutral?
- Compare wind and tidal power for predictability.
- Why are several resources used together?
3.3.2 Patterns and trends in energy use
Energy-use trends reflect demand and technology
Definition
Trend in energy use
A trend in energy use is a long-term change in the amount of energy used or in the proportion supplied by different resources.
- Data may show total consumption, consumption per person, use by sector or the share from each resource.
- A pattern describes the evidence, while an explanation identifies a cause.
- Check the period, units and whether the axis shows an amount, rate or percentage.
Demand changes across time and place
- Daily electricity demand rises when homes and businesses use many appliances at once and falls during low-activity periods.
- Seasonal demand changes with temperature and daylight, affecting heating, cooling and lighting.
- Industrialisation, population growth and higher incomes can raise total use through manufacturing, transport and buildings.
- Efficiency, insulation, changes in industry and conservation policies can reduce demand or slow its growth.
- Total use can rise even while use per person falls if population grows sufficiently.
The resource mix also changes
- Fossil-fuel use can fall when emissions limits tighten, fuel prices rise or lower-carbon technologies become cheaper.
- Renewable generation can rise as equipment, grids, storage and backup systems improve.
- Nuclear generation changes slowly because stations take years to build, operate for decades and are costly to decommission.
- Short-term changes may reflect weather, maintenance or fuel supply rather than a lasting trend.
Key Idea
Describe the numerical change first, then explain it with a cause that fits the same period and place.
Quantify changes before explaining them
- ΔE=Efinal−Einitial\Delta E=E_{\text{final}}-E_{\text{initial}}ΔE=Efinal−Einitial
- percentage change=Efinal−EinitialEinitial×100%\text{percentage change}=\frac{E_{\text{final}}-E_{\text{initial}}}{E_{\text{initial}}}\times100\%percentage change=EinitialEfinal−Einitial×100%
- Power is the rate of energy transfer:
- P=EtP=\frac{E}{t}P=tE
- Use 1 kW=1000 W1\ \text{kW}=1000\ \text{W}1 kW=1000 W, 1 MW=106 W1\ \text{MW}=10^6\ \text{W}1 MW=106 W and 1 kWh=3.6×106 J1\ \text{kWh}=3.6\times10^6\ \text{J}1 kWh=3.6×106 J.
Example
- Renewable generation rises from 80 TWh80\ \text{TWh}80 TWh to 116 TWh116\ \text{TWh}116 TWh.
- ΔE=116−80=36 TWh\Delta E=116-80=36\ \text{TWh}ΔE=116−80=36 TWh
- percentage increase=3680×100%=45%\text{percentage increase}=\frac{36}{80}\times100\%=45\%percentage increase=8036×100%=45%
Practical
Conservation of energy using a trolley on a ramp
- Aim: compare the decrease in gravitational potential energy with the increase in kinetic energy as a trolley descends a ramp.
- Apparatus: dynamics trolley, rigid ramp, blocks and clamp, light gate and data logger, interrupt card, metre rule, balance, vertical height scale, stop block and masking tape.
- Variables: release height is independent, speed and calculated kinetic energy are dependent, and trolley mass, ramp angle, release method, gate position and card length are controlled.
- Method:
- Measure the total mass mmm of the trolley and interrupt card in kilograms.
- Secure the ramp and stop block, then place the light gate near the bottom so the card passes centrally through it.
- Measure the interrupt-card length and set the logger to calculate speed from card length divided by blocking time.
- Mark at least five release positions and measure each vertical height hhh above the light-gate level, not the distance along the ramp.
- Release the trolley from the first mark without pushing and record its speed vvv at the gate.
- Repeat at least three times, calculate the mean speed and investigate anomalous readings.
- Repeat for every height while keeping the ramp angle and light-gate position fixed.
- Processing: calculate ΔEg=mgh\Delta E_{\mathrm{g}}=mghΔEg=mgh and Ek=12mv2E_{\mathrm{k}}=\dfrac{1}{2}mv^2Ek=21mv2, then plot EkE_{\mathrm{k}}Ek against ΔEg\Delta E_{\mathrm{g}}ΔEg.
- Expected pattern: greater height gives larger values of both energies, but kinetic energy is usually smaller because friction, air resistance, wheel rotation and sound receive energy.
- Uncertainty and improvements: measure vertical height at eye level, use electronic timing, repeat readings, align the trolley and use a low-friction runway.
- Safety: clamp the ramp, use a stop block, keep clear of the trolley and use a modest height.
Interpret trends without overclaiming
- Correlation alone does not prove causation; an explanation must be physically plausible and fit the evidence.
- Interpolation within the measured range is more reliable than extrapolation beyond it because the trend may change.
- Year-to-year fluctuations should not be called a long-term trend unless the overall pattern supports that conclusion.
Exam technique
- Quote values with units, calculate the change, then give a cause linked to the same resource, place and period.
- Distinguish total energy use from the percentage supplied by one resource.
- For conservation data, account for missing measured energy as transfers to thermal and other stores.
Avoid common data errors
- A strong conclusion states direction, magnitude and timescale before giving a supported cause.
- Where evidence is limited, state that the data are consistent with an explanation rather than claiming certainty.
Common Mistake
- Use the initial value as the denominator for percentage change.
- Check that graph lines use the same axes and units before comparing them.
- Do not treat a one-year weather fluctuation as a permanent trend.
Self review
- What distinguishes a pattern from an explanation?
- State the percentage-change equation.
- Why can total use rise while use per person falls?
- Why may measured kinetic energy be below the decrease in gravitational potential energy?
- Why is extrapolation less reliable than interpolation?
