1. Energy resources

2. Objectives
to know that energy resources can be renewable or
non-renewable
To know which are used for transport, electricity generation
and heating
To discuss some of the environmental issues surrounding
energy resources
To look at the trends in energy resources
To debate the future of nuclear energy

3. A non-renewable energy resource..
will eventually run out
is one that is being replenished
as it is being used
A renewable energy resource..

4. Renewable or non- renewable?
coal
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

5. Renewable or non- renewable?
wind
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

6. Renewable or non- renewable?
nuclear
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

7. Renewable or non- renewable?
solar
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

8. Renewable or non- renewable?
hydroelectricity
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

9. Renewable or non- renewable?
Natural gas
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

10. Renewable or non- renewable?
oil
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

11. Renewable or non- renewable?
tidal
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

12. Renewable or non- renewable?
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

13. Renewable or non- renewable?
waves
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

14. Renewable or non- renewable?
Geothermal energy
Used for transport, electricity generation or heating?

15. Choosing the best energy source
Electricity can be produced from a wide range of different resources. Choosing the best option depends on many factors:
efficiency: how efficiently can electricity be generated?
economic costs: what will it cost to build and how much will it cost to keep running?
environmental impact: what are the short and long-term impacts, both locally and globally?
Teacher notes
See the presentations ‘Power Stations’ and ‘Energy Transformations’ for more information about Sankey diagrams.
The worksheet ‘Evaluating Energy Resources’ accompanies this slide.
power output and lifetime: how much power can be generated and for how long?

16. Pros and cons of fossil fuels
Teacher notes
See the presentations ‘Power Stations’ and ‘Energy Resources’ for more information on how fossil fuels are used to generate electricity.

17. Pros and cons of nuclear power
Teacher notes
See the presentations ‘Power Stations’ and ‘Energy Resources’ for more information on how nuclear fuels are used to generate electricity.

18. How quickly can electricity be produced?
The demand for electricity varies depending on the time of day and time of year. Power stations have to cope with this.
Power stations cannot be turned on at the flick of a switch. The table shows typical start-up times for power stations that use non-renewable energy resources.
natural gas
oil
coal
nuclear
Type of fuel
Start-up time
1 hour
4 hours
7 hours
48 hours
Which type of power is useful when extra power is needed for a short time?

19. Reporting of nuclear power
Teacher notes
This headlines activity can be used to explore media reports about nuclear power. Students could get into groups and identify the bias in the headlines. They could then explore the reasons for the bias and perhaps predict what type of newspaper might run headlines like these.
Students could be asked to write their own ‘for’, ‘neutral’ and ‘against’ headlines for a range of different energy resources.

20. Pros and cons of hydroelectric power
Teacher notes
Appropriately coloured voting cards could be used with this classification activity.
See the presentation ‘Energy Resources’ for more information about hydroelectricity. 20

21. Pros and cons of tidal power
Teacher notes
Appropriately coloured voting cards could be used with this classification activity.
See the presentation ‘Energy Resources’ for more information about how tidal power generates electricity. 21

22. Pros and cons of geothermal power
Teacher notes
Appropriately coloured voting cards could be used with this classification activity.
See the presentation ‘Energy Resources’ for more information about how geothermal power generates electricity. 22

23. Reliability of electricity generation
Teacher notes
It could be argued that solar power is reliable, but factors such as day/night, cloud cover, geographical locations and seasonal variations will all affect how much electricity can be generated.
The reliability and constant nature of of nuclear power, fossil fuels and biofuels depends on a constant supply of fuel, but this is generally the case at the moment. Students may wish to discuss how this might change in future.

24. Future energy demands Teacher notes
The graph shows an estimated 40% growth global energy demand between 2007 and The use of coal is estimated to rise the most in absolute terms.
It could be highlighted to students that, although the use of renewables is estimated to increase, it is likely that the percentage contribution they make to total electricity generation will stay roughly the same due to increased energy use. This could lead on to a discussion about the importance of improving the efficiency of energy use.
Data source: International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook:

25. Increase supply or reduce demand?
Global energy demands are increasing all the time due to a rising population and increased use of technology.
We cannot globally produce more and more energy forever – the amount of available energy is limited. The alternative is to reduce demand for energy resources. How can this be done?
More efficient power stations (less fuel needed)
Localized electricity production (less waste in transport)
More efficient technology (e.g. LED televisions)
Power-saving measures (e.g. ban stand-by buttons).
Photo credit: © 2011 Vbar, Shutterstock.com
Teacher notes
Students could discuss the extent to which governments should be involved in encouraging energy efficiency, and how much responsibility should lie with individuals. They could also discuss the impact of the growth of nations such as China and India on the global energy demand.