Advise the UK government on which primary energy resources would be best to develop over the next 20 years

fountain is a fun blockental part of our lives however, gutter we uphold to rely on fossil enkindles? By 2030 orbicular get-up-and-go demand entrust be 40% higher and in that respect argon in addition ripening concerns oer increased greenhouse shoot a line emissions and the expiry warming of our planet which causes us to ask questions close to whether our current free life force cut is truly sustainable. The UK is travel rapidly emerge of muscularity, without massive investment in sunrise(prenominal) berth plants on that point will be fixture black outs in 10 long time. in that respect atomic number 18 some(prenominal) factors to consider when evaluating different primordial postcode picks these include frugal, environmental, semipolitical and social implications. as yet, the close outstanding factors to consider would be economic viability (which is pointly probatory due to the UKs current economic situation) and environmental sustainability. In this es check out I will be looking at these factors in order to screen and come up with the most sensible resolve to the growing efficacy chore in our clownish and because what primary(a) energy re reference book should be true to solve it.Government Regulation on Media in AmericaNatural rude(a) gasNatural gas is a major source of electricity coevals through the use of gas turbines and steam turbines. It destroy more cleanly than other hydro hundred go offs, such as inunct colour colour and ember, and it also produces less carbon dioxide. For an eq amount of kindle, burning natural gas produces to the highest degree 30% less carbon dioxide than burning petroleum and round 45% less than burning coal. Gas from the North Sea has provided Britain with a regular supply since the mid 1960s when the first discoveries were made. However, UK supplies from the North un considerably in 1999, since when production has fallen by near half (see graph to the right). Th e trade secretary says that the UK is outright a net importer of gas this growing dependance on imports means change magnitude vulnerability to arise prices and instability in gas-producing regions. Also the carbonic acid gas emissions argon legato significant so you cant consider this energy resource as wholly clean. Gas fracking in the UK is a really controversial issue, especially after the late(a) earthquakes at test drilling sites near Blackpool.Coal33% of our current energy sources come from coal it is well established, cheap and h anest. However economically viable UK coal will run out in 10-15 historic period and is already expensive to mine. Half the coal employ in the UK is now imported. The huge environmental implications elusive with coal also remain to be a concern in that respect atomic number 18 high emissions of CO2 and SO2 (which causes acid rain.) Earlier this year the government invested 1 billion in cleaner technologies, in particular carbon captu re technologies which prevent CO2 from escaping into the atmosphere. The electromotive force difference rewards from carbon capture and storage argon broad a technology that can de-carbonise coal and gas-fired creator positions and over titanic industrial emitters, allowing them to play a crucial part in the UKs low carbon future says Ed Davey, Energy and Climate variety Secretary. However this still remains to be a controversial strategy as some say that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is in its infancy and does non work yet.nuclear occasionNuclear power is the use of sustained thermo thermo atomic fission to picture heat and electricity it provides roughly 20% of the UKs energy, utilising 16 operational nuclear reactors at nine plants. Nuclear power is the primary source of electric power in France 76% of Frances electricity comes from nuclear power, the highest percentage in the demesne. Frances nuclear power industry has been called a mastery story tha t has put the nation ahead of the world in terms of providing cheap, CO2-free energy. The main positive environmental implication is that it creates minimal CO2 emissions after formulation and therefore it isnt contributing to global warming however this shouldnt indicate that it is environmentally brotherly there ar high levels of radioactive bollocks problematic and the Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) incidents raise concern over nuclear disasters.After the 2011 Fukushima incident, the head of Frances nuclear safety part said that France deprivations to upgrade the protection of brisk functions in all its nuclear reactors to avoid a disaster in the event of a natural calamity, which will inevitably increase the cost of electricity. There are further damaging economic implications as there are high costs of expression and decommissioning reactors. Planning and building a power station takes at least 10 years so this will not help meet Kyoto agreements. However a pos itive economic implication is that Nuclear energy is not as vulnerable to fuel prices fluctuations as oil and gas. There are several pros and cons to nuclear power which makes it a controversial topic all of the above points would pretend to be considered if this resource would be certain over the next 20 years.HydropowerThis is the most widely apply form of renewable energy, accounting for 16 percent of global electricity consumption but just over 2% of the UKs current consumption. Natural flow hydro is dependent on rainfall and vulnerable to drought which is archetype for the UK. There are no CO2 emissions involved and no vulnerability to fuel prices or political instability and is very cheap once the dam has been built. In theory this sounds like the ideal pickax for the UK to develop over the next 20 years however in practice there are several negative implications involved. For instance, hydropower projects on mega dams in china have caused species extinction and seriou s water contamination issues. The three gorges dam in China has had umteen negative impacts huge areas of set down has been flooded resulting in a large musical scale relocation of people, villages etcetera This case study indicates that a large scale hydropower system inwardly the UK would not be exclusively sustainable.The Three Gorges DamOilOil altogether accounts for 1.2% of the UKs energy consumption and although it is a reliable technology and well established it has galore(postnominal) negative implications with it. It is a finite stock resource many oilfields are depleting meaning production has peaked and prices will rise (price instability). This has also led to searching for go-as-you-please reserves of oil e.g. in the Arctic. There could be 16 billion barrels of oil in Alaska and big oil TNCs are keen to take it from this fragile wilderness which causes many harsh environmental impacts. The oil industry has a large dependence on politically unstable regions w hich causes many problems the recent Arab spring conflict in Libya meant there were no exports of oil from this major producer. As well as creating a lot of CO2 emissions which contributes to global warming a major environmental implication is oil run offs the deep water horizon oil spill disaster caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats and to the Gulfs sportfishing and tourism industry.BiofuelsBiofuels are crops or organic emergence such as agricultural wastes which can be used as fuels. They are defined as renewable because they are based upon plants which have trap the suns energy during photosynthesis and converted it into chemical substance energy. In the UK it accounts for 0.6% of energy consumption there are only a few facilities burning Biofuels such as waste wood products and straw that are already operating. Energy crops could be grown in the UK, but some will not be cost perfumeive unless yields improve. These energy costs are considered to be carbon n eutral because carbon released when crops are burned is balanced by carbon draped from the atmosphere during growth. One of the main issues concerned with Biofuels is that it uses up a lot of land which could be used for other things such as growing crops there is a link between the spread of Biofuels crossways the world and rising food prices.Brazil is considered to have the worlds first sustainable Biofuels economy and is the Biofuel industry loss leader the UK could learn a lot from Brazils 37-year-old ethanol fuel program which is based on the most efficient agricultural technology for sugar cane cultivation in the world. This program has led to there no longer being any light-colored vehicles in Brazil running on concentrated gasoline which has huge environmental benefits. However, again Biofuels cannot be considered completely environmentally friendly as you need to take into account the direct and indirect effect of land use changes Brazil and other developing countri es convert land in undisturbed ecosystems, such as rainforests, savannas, or grasslands to Biofuel production. Some experts call bioethanol deforestation diesel.WindWind is a blusher renewable resource that is not vulnerable to fuel price fluctuations. Turbines are emission free and immobile to build, with the costs of building them decreasing. The UK is very suited to summit farms some say that the UK has the best ramble resources in Europe. The UK is ranked as the worlds 8th largest producer of malar chance upon power at the spring of March 2012 the installed capacity of steer power in the United Kingdom was 6,580 megawatts with 333 operational twisting farms and 3,506 jumper lead turbines. However, even though it is a leading producer, wind power only accounts for 0.5% of our energy consumption therefore there is a large amount of room for ontogeny. There are several issues with this source of energy to be considered it uses up a lot of land which inevitably leads t o NIMBYISM issues there is local opposition and concerns about the noise pollution and the impact on the landscape. This energy source is also intermittent as wind levels fluctuate.SolarSolar is also a key free and renewable energy source. It can generate electricity from photovoltaic cells, be used to heat water directly, or be maximised by skilful building design. Spain is one of the most advanced countries in the culture of solar energy however it is one of the European countries with the most hours of sunshine. This suggests that this source of energy would not be right for the UK as the UK sunshine is t dawnerous and limited. Solar power is also confined to day hours unless photovoltaic cells are used to store power in batteries. The solar power industry within the UK is developing however the potential may not be big enough for it to be developed further in the UK in my suasion. beckon and tidalThis has large potential in some move of the UK and is a key renewable resourc e. However there are large development costs and it is still in the research stage with technology not being completely developed yet. There are also environmental issues involved with wave and tidal power the barrier will act as a physical barrier to fish movements to spawning pace etc. The wave and tidal barriers will also detract from the visual beauty of the coastline.ConclusionIn this essay I have evaluated the pros and cons of several forms of primary energy which have the potential to be developed within the UK over the next 20 years. I have considered the environmental, political, social and economic implications of each in order to try and come up with the most sustainable option for the UKs future.Forms of renewable energy seem to be the most obvious natural selection to be developed in the UK with the ever increasing concerns over global warming and climate change. The environmental impacts involved with using natural gas, coal, nuclear energy and oil all seem to be li kewise big for them to be considered. The political impacts concerned with oil in particular is a strong trace of an energy resource that should be avoided by the UK oil is already making a small and declining piece to electricity generation in our country.With the focus being, in my opinion, on renewable energy it leaves the controversial purpose over what particular primary energy source should be developed. At first glance, maximising the potential of hydropower seems to be the most sensible option as this is already having the largest contribution to our energy consumption out of all the renewables. However, much of the UKs hydropower potential has already been exploited with large scale future development unlikely. I also believe that solar power isnt the right renewable energy to go for as the UKs climate is simply not suitable enough for it to have a large impact on our growing energy consumption. Wave and tidal energy does however have large potential in the UK however I am worried that due to its early stage in development it would need massive investment for it to reach its potential this I believe would not be economically viable in the UK considering our current economic climate.This leaves me with wind power. I believe that this should be the energy resource that should be further developed over the next 20 years for several reasons it is shortly the fastest growing renewable in the UK and there is already heavy government backing to allow it. There are little environmental impacts to be considered and with costs falling it is also economically viable. NIMBYISM objections can also be solved with the development of off-shore wind farms further out to sea, for example the worlds biggest offshore wind farm off Kent with the 100 turbines being pass judgment to generate enough electricity to power 200,000 homes. The supremacy of this particular development will in my opinion become a catalyst for further development of more wind farms in the UK a nd will hopefully help solve the growing energy problem in our country.