6.4.A Consumption

Question 1

What is the UK’s energy consumption like (2020)?

Answer 1

• For the first time, renewable energy overtook fossil fuels to be the biggest source of electricity in the UK in 2020. Wind, solar, bio-energy and hydro (water) power generated a record 42% of UK power last year, while fossil fuels, mostly gas, produced 41%. Just 10 years ago, the UK generated more than three-quarters of its power from fossil fuels, mostly gas and coal, and just a small fraction (7% in 2010) from renewable energy
• Coal power made up just 2% of electricity production in 2020, while gas fell from 41% to 37%
• In 2020 the UK obtained 21.5% of its primary energy from low carbon sources, with 37% of this from bioenergy, 31% from nuclear, and 18% from wind.
• Energy supply from biofuels increased by 3.9%, whilst solar was up by 4.4% reflecting increased capacity. The supply of nuclear fell by 11% due to numerous outages at all 8 of the UK’s power stations during 2020.
• Energy supply from wind increased by 18% in 2020, with capacity up by 2.5% and with wind speeds 0.8 knots higher than in 2019. Ten named storms affected the UK during 2020 which resulted in 2020 being the windiest year since 2015.
• Solar power generates just 4% of UK electricity. It has barely grown since 2018 and experts want the UK government to do more to convince people to install solar panels.
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Question 2

Where does the UK mainly import non-renewable energy from (2020)?

Answer 2

Crude oil - The key source of imports has historically been Norway, but its share of UK imports decreased from 38% in 2019 to 34% in 2020, whilst the share of US imports continued to grow increasing from 26% in 2019 to 32% in 2020.

Petroleum products - The UK imports a wide variety of petroleum products, while remaining a net exporter of certain fuels including petrol. Traditionally the Netherlands, which acts as a major trading hub, has been the largest source of imports. As such, the Netherlands is the largest supplier of transport fuels. Aviation turbine fuel is generally sourced from the Middle East.

Natural gas - Norway accounted for 55% of UK gas imports in 2020, with pipelines from Belgium and The Netherlands supplying 1% and 2% respectively. The remaining 42% arrived as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), of which 48% was from Qatar. In 2020, Qatari, Russian and US LNG imports accounted for 87% of all LNG imports, whilst LNG imports were received from France for the first time.

What is the UK’s energy consumption like (2020)?
- For the first time, renewable energy overtook fossil fuels to be the biggest source of electricity in the UK in 2020. Wind, solar, bio-energy and hydro (water) power generated a record 42% of UK power last year, while fossil fuels, mostly gas, produced 41%. Just 10 years ago, the UK generated more than three-quarters of its power from fossil fuels, mostly gas and coal, and just a small fraction (7% in 2010) from renewable energy

• Coal power made up just 2% of electricity production in 2020, while gas fell from 41% to 37%
• In 2020 the UK obtained 21.5% of its primary energy from low carbon sources, with 37% of this from bioenergy, 31% from nuclear, and 18% from wind.
• Energy supply from biofuels increased by 3.9%, whilst solar was up by 4.4% reflecting increased capacity. The supply of nuclear fell by 11% due to numerous outages at all 8 of the UK’s power stations during 2020.
• Energy supply from wind increased by 18% in 2020, with capacity up by 2.5% and with wind speeds 0.8 knots higher than in 2019. Ten named storms affected the UK during 2020 which resulted in 2020 being the windiest year since 2015.
• Solar power generates just 4% of UK electricity. It has barely grown since 2018 and experts want the UK government to do more to convince people to install solar panels.
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Question 3

How has the UK’s energy imports changed?

Answer 3

• In the 1970’s the UK was a net importer of energy. Following development of oil and gas production in the North Sea, the UK became a net exporter of energy in 1981.
• Output fell back in the late 1980’s following the Piper Alpha disaster, with the UK regaining a position as a net exporter in the mid 1990’s. North Sea production peaked in 1999, and the UK returned to being an energy importer in 2004.
• In 2013 imports of petroleum products exceeded exports following the closure of the Corryton refinery; the UK is now a net importer of all main fuel types, although in 2020 became a net exporter of primary oils for the first time since 2004, as well as remaining a net exporter of some petroleum products such as petrol and fuel oil.
• In 2020, 28% of energy used in the UK was imported, down sharply from the 2019 level due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as the UK imported less fuel to meet reduced demand. Imports fell by 18%, with falls in imports of coal, primary oil, petroleum products, gas and electricity, but a small rise in imports of bioenergy and waste.

Question 4

How has the UK’s energy consumption changed?

Answer 4

• The UK consumes less energy today than it did in 1970, despite an extra 6.5 million people living there.
• It seems the UK is more efficient both in producing energy and using it. The increased use of tings such as smart meters has made households more aware of their energy use and the rise of the less energy intensive service sector at the expense of industry has also played a part.
• Households use 12 per cent less, while industry uses a massive 60 per cent less. This is largely offset by a 50 per cent rise in energy use in the transport sector, due to the huge rise in the number of cars on the road. In 2020, there were 38.6 million vehicles on the road in the UK compared with 10 million in 1970.

2020 figures:
- 21% industry
- 39.3% domestic
- 40.5% transport
- 20.2% services

Question 5

How does energy consumption vary within countries?

Answer 5

There is a clear difference between rural (countryside) and urban (towns and cities) consumption of energy.
75% of the world’s energy is consumed in urban areas.
This energy is largely secondary energy, especially in developed nations. For example, most homes in London are powered by national and international supply lines.

Question 6

How does energy consumption vary between countries?

Answer 6

Some rural areas, especially in developing nations, have been without secondary energy sources because of a lack of resources and finances to develop energy infrastructure. As renewable energy becomes more affordable, some nations have installed solar panels to provide electricity. For example, Peru installed solar panels on 500,000 homes between 2006-2015.

Question 7

What are the different places that energy can come from?

Answer 7

• Domestic (comes from within the country) vs foreign (comes from outside the country)
• Primary sources of energy are found in nature, not converted/transformed but instead used in their raw form. It can be renewable (water/wind/sunlight) or non-renewable (coal/oil/gas)
• Secondary sources of energy derives from the transformation of conversion of primary sources, usually more convenient (electricity). Primary energy sources can be used to generate electricity, which is a secondary energy source. Secondary energy flows through power lines to reach homes and businesses.

Question 8

What are the different types of fuel?

Answer 8

• Non-renewable energy sources are finite (coal, oil and gas) - finite
• Renewable energy sources are natural continuous flows that can be constantly reused (e.g. wind and solar energy) - infinite
• Recyclable energy can be used repeatedly if managed carefully (e.g. reprocessed uranium from nuclear power plants and biomass

Question 9

How has global energy mix changed over time?

Answer 9

over time?
1820 - 20 exajoules, mainly biofuels (amount of biofuels remains constant until it rises slightly in the latter half of the 20th century). Very small amount of coal.

1900 - 50 exajoules - 30 coal, 20 biofuel .

1920 - 60 exajoules. Now some oil and tiny amounts of hydropower.

1960 - 120 exajoules after a rapid increase since 1940, about 40 of which is oil. Small amounts of natural gas now being used.

1980 - 330 exajoules, increase in hydropower (about 10) and natural gas now at about 50 exajoules. Introduction of nuclear power.

2010 - 540 exajoules. About 40 biofuels, 150 coal, 190 oil, 110 natural gas, 20 hydro and 20 nuclear.

Question 10

What is an energy mix?

Answer 10

The energy mix is the combination of different energy sources used to meet a country’s total energy consumption. It’s an important part of energy security, and varies from country to country. There are distinctions between different energy including:
- Renewable vs non-renewable
- Primary vs secondary
- Domestic vs foreign

Question 11

How is energy consumption measured?

Answer 11

• In per capita terms, for example as kilogrammes of oil equivalent or megawatt hours per person. In general, this measure rises with economic development
• Energy intensity (a measure of how efficiently a country is using energy) which is assessed by calculating the units of energy used per unit GDP. The fewer the units of energy, the more efficiently a country is using its energy supply. In general, energy intensity values decrease with economic development. A high energy intensity indicates a high price or cost of converting energy into GDP.

Question 12

Why is energy security important?

Answer 12

The importance of energy security stems from the fact that energy is vital to the functioning of a country. For example, it: powers most forms of transport, lights settlements, is used by some types of commercial agriculture; warms/cools homes and powers domestic appliances; is vital to modern communications; drives most forms of manufacturing.

Question 13

What factors most affect energy security?

Answer 13

he more a country demands on imported energy, the more it is exposed to risks of an economic and geopolitical kind. Four key aspects of energy security are:
- Availability
- Accessibility
- Affordability (competitively priced energy supply)
- Reliability (uninterrupted)

Question 14

What is the difference between long term and short term energy security?

Answer 14

• Long-term energy security mainly deals with timely investment or supply of energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs
• Short-term energy security focuses on the ability of the energy system to reacts promptly to sudden changes in the balance between energy demand and supply.

Question 15

What is energy security?

Answer 15

Energy security is achieved when there is an uninterrupted availability of energy at a national level and at an affordable price. All countries seek to achieve this; the most secure energy situation is where the national demand for energy can be completely satisfied by domestic sources.