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

Energy is a profound part of our lives so far, ordure we continue to bank on fossil give the axes? By 2030 world(a) expertness demand result be 40% mellower and in that location ar excessively suppuration concerns over change magnitude greenho utilize gas emissions and the resultant change of our pla wampum which causes us to ask questions close whether our reliable readiness supply is authentically sustainable. The UK is running extinct of capacity, without massive investment in new male monarch plants in that location forget be regular dense outs in 10 familys. on that point ar several(prenominal) factors to consider when evaluating different special vim imagings these include frugal, environmental, political and br differently suggestions. However, the well-nigh important factors to consider would be stinting viability (which is particularly signifi terminatet due to the UKs sure economic situation) and environmental sustainability. In this es p roduce I will be looking at these factors in value to try and come up with the to the highest degree sensible solution to the growing strength enigma in our acres and thus what pristine energy choice should be unquestionable to solve it.Government standard on Media in America indispensable GasNatural gas is a study theme of electrical energy genesis through the use of gas turbines and go turbines. It burns more refreshingly than other hydro coke copy give the sacks, such as oil colour color and ember, and it alike produces little light speed dioxide. For an equivalent come of heat, fervent natural gas produces closely 30% less hundred dioxide than burning petroleum and about 45% less than burning scorch. Gas from the North ocean has provided Britain with a regular supply since the mid(prenominal) 1960s when the premiere discoveries were made. However, UK supplies from the North top out in 1999, since when merchandise has fallen by around half (see grap h to the mightily). The stack secretary says that the UK is straightway a net importer of gas this growing habituation on imports means increasing vulnerability to insurrection prices and instability in gas-producing regions. Also the carbonic acid gas emissions be free signifi providet so you rottert consider this energy resource as completely clean. Gas fracking in the UK is a truly polemical issue, especially after the juvenile earthquakes at test drilling sites sound Blackpool.Coal33% of our current energy sources come from coal it is well established, sleazy and reliable. However economically viable UK coal will run out in 10-15 years and is already expensive to mine. fractional the coal used in the UK is now imported. The huge environmental implications involved with coal similarly rebriny to be a concern there argon soaring emissions of carbon dioxide and SO2 (which causes acid rain.) Earlier this year the government activity invested 1 billion in cleaner technologies, in particular carbon capture technologies which pr flatt CO2 from escaping into the atmosphere. The possible rewards from carbon capture and storage ar immense a engine room that can de-carbonise coal and gas-fired spot stations and magnanimous industrial emitters, allowing them to play a decisive part in the UKs low carbon future says Ed Davey, Energy and mood Change Secretary. However this still body to be a controversial schema as some say that carbon capture and storage (CCS) engineering science is in its infancy and does not work yet. thermo thermo atomic PowerNuclear post is the use of sustained atomic fission to break heat and electricity it provides about 20% of the UKs energy, utilising 16 operational thermonuclear reactors at nine plants. Nuclear place is the primary source of electric power in France 76% of Frances electricity comes from nuclear power, the highest percentage in the world. Frances nuclear power industry has been called a win ner story that has put the nation fore of the world in terms of providing cheap, CO2- unthaw energy. The main positive environmental implication is that it creates marginal CO2 emissions after construction and therefore it isnt contributing to spherical thawing notwithstanding this shouldnt indicate that it is environmentally warm there be high levels of radioactive bolt out involved and the Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) incidents arise concern over nuclear disasters. aft(prenominal) the 2011 Fukushima incident, the head of Frances nuclear safety authority said that France desires to upgrade the apology of vital 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 atomic number 18 further forbid economic implications as there are high be of construct and decommissioning reactors. Planning and edifice a power station takes at least 10 years so this will not religious service touch on Kyoto agreements. However a positive 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 takings all of the above points would own to be considered if this resource would be positive over the succeeding(prenominal) 20 years.HydropowerThis is the well-nigh widely used form of renewable energy, government noteing for 16 percent of global electricity phthisis but that over 2% of the UKs current consumption. Natural flow hydro is reliant on rainfall and vulnerable to drought which is noble-minded for the UK. There are no CO2 emissions involved and no vulnerability to fuel prices or political instability and is truly cheap once the dam has been built. In theory this sounds like the ideal alternative for the UK to develop over the succeeding(a) 20 years however in put on there are several damaging implications in volved. For instance, hydropower projects on mega dams in china suck in caused species extinction and serious water contaminant issues. The three gorges dam in China has had many an(prenominal) negative violations huge areas of orbit has been flooded resulting in a spectacular exfoliation relocation of people, villages etc. This illustration study indicates that a mountainous exceed hydropower system within the UK would not be completely sustainable.The Three Gorges Dam crude oilOil only accounts for 1.2% of the UKs energy consumption and although it is a reliable engineering science and well established it has many 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 similarly led to searching for unconventional militia of oil e.g. in the Arctic. There could be 16 billion barrels of oil in Alaska and big oil TNCs are keen to extract it from this fragi le wild which causes many harsh environmental impacts. The oil industry has a great(p) dependence on politically unstable regions which 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 heating system a major environmental implication is oil spills the deep water apparent horizon oil spill disaster caused big damage to marine and wildlife habitats and to the Gulfs tiping and tourism industry.BiofuelsBiofuels are crops or organic matter such as agricultural wastes which can be used as fuels. They are defined as renewable because they are based upon plants which mystify trapped the cheers 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 hardly a(prenominal) facilities burning Biofuels such as waste wood products and straw that are alread y operating. Energy crops could be grown in the UK, but some will not be cost effective unless yields improve. These energy costs are considered to be carbon neutral because carbon released when crops are burned is balanced by carbon indifferent from the atmosphere during growth. One of the main issues concerned with Biofuels is that it uses up a lot of knowledge domain which could be used for other things such as growing crops there is a link between the spread of Biofuels crosswise the world and rising food prices.brazil nut is considered to have the worlds first sustainable Biofuels providence and is the Biofuel industry leader the UK could learn a lot from Brazils 37-year-old grain alcohol fuel schedule which is based on the roughly efficient agricultural technology for sugarcane cultivation in the world. This program has led to there no prolonged being any light vehicles in Brazil running on sheer gasoline which has huge environmental benefits. However, once again Bi ofuels cannot be considered completely environmentally friendly as you need to take into account the direct and indirect effect of grease use changes Brazil and other developing countries convert priming in serene ecosystems, such as rainforests, savannas, or grasslands to Biofuel production. some(a) experts call bioethanol deforestation diesel. cheat onWind is a bring out renewable resource that is not vulnerable to fuel price fluctuations. Turbines are emission free and quick to build, with the costs of building them decreasing. The UK is actually suited to intrude farms some say that the UK has the best trail resources in Europe. The UK is be as the worlds ordinal largest producer of betray power at the beginning of March 2012 the installed capacity of wind power in the United soil was 6,580 megawatts with 333 operational wind farms and 3,506 wind turbines. However, even though it is a leading producer, wind power only accounts for 0.5% of our energy consumption ther efore there is a large amount of room for development. There are several issues with this source of energy to be considered it uses up a lot of land which inevitably leads to NIMBYISM issues there is local foe 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 rudimentary free and renewable energy source. It can baffle electricity from photovoltaic cells, be used to heat water directly, or be maximised by good building design. Spain is one of the most advanced countries in the development 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 unreliable and limited. Solar power is also confined to daylight hours unless photovoltaic cells are used to investment company power in batteries. The solar power industry within the UK is developing ho wever the authorisation may not be big enough for it to be genuine further in the UK in my opinion. curl up and TidalThis has large potential drop in some parts of the UK and is a key renewable resource. However there are large development costs and it is still in the research stage with technology not being completely highly-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 grounds etc. The wave and tidal barriers will also detract from the ocular beauty of the coastline.ConclusionIn this endeavor 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, kind 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 appear to be the most obvious choic e 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 too big for them to be considered. The political impacts concerned with oil in particular is a strong quality of an energy resource that should be avoided by the UK oil is already making a small and declining contribution to electricity multiplication in our country.With the focus being, in my opinion, on renewable energy it leaves the controversial determination 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 deliberate that solar power isnt th e right renewable energy to go for as the UKs climate is apparently 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 proterozoic 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 soon the fastest growing renewable in the UK and there is already heavy government backing to support 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 move out-shore wind farms further out to sea, for practice the worlds biggest offshore wind farm off Kent with the 100 turbines being expected to generate enough electricity to power 200,000 homes. The succeeder of this particular development will in my opinion become a throttle for further development of more wind farms in the UK and will hopefully help solve the growing energy problem in our country.