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Generating Electricity
Our government must plan for the future to meet our energy needs, which are growing. Some other countries economies are growing rapidly and their need for electricity grows rapidly also. We should plan wisely when we decide how this electricity is to be provided and take into account a lot of things.
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Using different energy sources has different effects on the environment. Not only are some of the gases produced ( CO2 and SOx and NOx ) polluting but there is also noise pollution, visual pollution and damage to wildlife habitats.
The cost of building power stations differs greatly.
The cost of decommissioning a power station, especially nuclear, can be very large too.
Different types of power station are more reliable than others.
They have different start up times, this is the time it takes to actually produce electricity when needed.
The actual cost of generating electricity can vary greatly, and this can vary also with location.
Here are some notes.
| Source | pros | cons |
| Fossil Fuels | reliable produces lots of electricity relatively cheap at the moment |
Non-renewable pollution due to gases. The greenhouse effect is a major concern. |
| Nuclear | reliable produces lots of electricity |
Non-renewable expensive when you include dealing with waste and decommissioning. It will cost around £70 billion pounds just to decommission our old power stations. |
| Wind | Renewable Becoming cheaper and more efficient Non polluting |
Only suitable in windy places Some people don't like the look of them Do make some noise Wind farms take up a lot of space |
| Solar | Renewable Non polluting |
Very expensive Only practical in sunny areas |
| Tidal | Renewable Non polluting |
Only possible in some tidal inlets Interferes with shipping and coastal wildlife |
| Hydroelectricity | Renewable Can create man-made lakes |
Dramatic effect on local environment and wildlife Huge amount of concrete needed releases lots of CO2 |
| Geothermal | Renewable Non polluting |
Very limited Only possible in very few places |
| Bio-fuels, e.g. bio-gas | Renewable Carbon neutral Is becoming more cost competitive as fossil fuels dwindle |
In the developmental stage |
| Wave | Renewable Non polluting |
In the developmental stage |
It would be easy to say that we shouldn't use methods which are polluting but, at the end of the day, we need electricity and compromises must be made and painful decisions need to be taken. At this stage renewables could only supply a small fraction of our needs.
Having caused most of the pollution problems in the first place do developed countries in the west have a right to demand that developing countries, e.g. China, restrict their emissions? If we are to solve global problems then there needs to be international agreements, such as that at Kyoto.
Perhaps we should should focus on reducing our needs rather than how we might supply our ever increasing demand.