Knowledge Organiser: Energy Security and Management
Key Terms
- Energy security — reliable, affordable access without dangerous import dependence
- Energy mix — combination of sources (fossil fuels, nuclear, renewables)
- Intermittency — wind/solar output varies with weather; need backup or storage
- Resource curse — resource wealth leads to worse development outcomes
- Dutch disease — oil/gas revenues strengthen currency, destroying other exports
- Energiewende — Germany's renewable energy transition (launched 2000)
- Feed-in tariff — guaranteed above-market price for renewable electricity
Nigeria Key Facts (LIC/NEE)
- 8th largest oil producer in the world
- 80% of export revenue from oil
- ~40% of population (85 million people) lack electricity
- Businesses lose up to 20 hours of grid power per day
- $14 billion/year spent on diesel generators
- Niger Delta oil spills — Shell involved in 1,000+
- M-KOPA solar: 3 million+ pay-as-you-go households connected
- Resource curse: corruption + Dutch disease + MEND conflict
Germany Key Facts (HIC)
- Energiewende launched 2000
- Renewables: 6% electricity in 2000 → ~50% by 2023
- ~30,000 onshore wind turbines
- ~2 million solar rooftop installations
- 55% gas from Russia pre-2022 — became geopolitical vulnerability
- 2022: Emergency LNG terminals built in months; coal plants reactivated
- Energy prices tripled 2022 — cost-of-living crisis
- Last nuclear plants closed April 2023
Global Energy Facts
- Fossil fuels = ~80% of global primary energy
- Middle East holds ~50% of known oil reserves
- Russia holds ~17% of global gas reserves
- Solar panel cost fallen 99.8% since 1976
- 4 million deaths/year from indoor cooking fire pollution
- 759 million people globally lack electricity access
- UK: ~40% renewables, 32% gas, 13% nuclear (2023 electricity)
- Hinkley Point C nuclear: £33bn, ready ~2031-2035
DIRECT Mnemonic (Evaluate Any Energy Source)
- Dependability — is it reliable/baseload?
- Import dependence — does it create geopolitical vulnerability?
- Running and construction cost
- Environmental impact
- Carbon emissions and climate
- Trade-offs and tensions between priorities
Exam Essentials
- Never say "renewables = always best" — acknowledge intermittency and storage limits
- Nigeria: resource curse, not resource shortage
- Germany: Energiewende succeeded for electricity; failed to address gas dependence for heating
- Level 3 evaluate = both sides + named evidence + clear supported judgement ("Overall...")
- Compare LIC (Nigeria) with HIC (Germany) — different types of insecurity
Common Mistakes
- Saying renewables are always the best solution: Wind and solar have intermittency problems (output varies with weather) and require expensive storage — Germany kept coal plants running in 2022 when gas imports from Russia were cut; always acknowledge trade-offs
- Confusing energy poverty with energy shortage: Nigeria has 8th largest oil reserves globally but 40% of its population lacks electricity — this is the resource curse, not physical shortage; governance and infrastructure are the barriers
- Only comparing HIC and LIC without explaining WHY they differ: Germany's challenge is transitioning away from fossil fuels; Nigeria's challenge is basic access — state the specific type of insecurity and its cause, not just "LICs are worse off"
- Ignoring geopolitical dimensions of energy: Germany's 55% gas dependency on Russia became a severe vulnerability in 2022 — energy security has political as well as physical dimensions that examiners reward in evaluation answers
Memory Aid
- Use this mnemonic to evaluate any energy source or strategy — whether in a 4-mark explain or a 6-mark evaluate question:
- D — Dependability — Is it reliable? Can it supply power continuously (baseload), or is it intermittent? Gas and nuclear: yes. Wind and solar: depends on weather. Intermittency requires backup or storage.
- I — Import dependence — Does it create dependence on foreign suppliers? Gas creates import dependence (Germany-Russia). Renewables reduce it, because sunlight and wind cannot be cut off by a foreign government. Nuclear requires uranium imports but in tiny quantities.
- R — Running cost and construction cost — How expensive is it to build and operate? Solar has near-zero running costs (sunlight is free) but requires upfront installation. Gas is cheap to build but fuel costs are volatile. Nuclear is very expensive to build but cheap to run.
- E — Environmental impact — What are the carbon emissions and ecological effects? Coal: worst. Gas: high but less than coal. Nuclear: very low lifecycle. Wind/solar: very low but not zero (mining, land use).
- C — Carbon emissions and climate — Does this source help or harm the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Fossil fuels: counterproductive. Renewables and nuclear: compatible with climate goals.
- T — Trade-offs and tensions — Every source involves trade-offs. Use this to reach a judgement: security vs sustainability, cost vs reliability, short-term vs long-term. The best exam answers identify the specific trade-off for the specific source and context.
- Memory tip for the two case studies:
- Nigeria = Not getting oil benefits to ordinary people (80% oil revenue, 40% no electricity — remember the contrast) Germany = Green but Gas-dependent (50% renewable electricity but still stuck on Russian gas for heating)