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GCSE/Geography/Edexcel

T9.2Access to energy: factors affecting global access, the energy gap and energy security

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Notes

Access to Energy

The energy gap

The energy gap is the growing mismatch between global energy demand and the supply available to meet it. Demand is rising rapidly because of population growth (8 billion in 2022), rising affluence in EDCs (China, India, Brazil), industrialisation and urbanisation, while traditional supplies (oil, coal, gas) are finite and increasingly contested.

Factors affecting access

  • Physical: geology determines fossil-fuel reserves (Saudi oil, Qatar gas, Australian coal); climate and topography enable renewables (Iceland geothermal, Norway HEP, Sahara solar potential).
  • Economic: wealthy countries can afford imports, infrastructure, R&D; LIDCs cannot. Norway has 100% electricity access; DRC under 20%.
  • Political: energy is a geopolitical weapon (Russia–Ukraine 2022 cut European gas; OPEC+ controls oil output). Stable governance enables long-term investment.
  • Technological: countries with R&D capacity exploit shale (USA fracking), offshore wind (UK), nuclear (France).

Energy security

Energy security is reliable, affordable access to enough energy to meet a country's needs. It depends on:

  • Diversity of sources (mix of fuels) — UK now: 40% gas, 14% nuclear, 27% renewables, 2% coal.
  • Domestic production vs imports — UK imports ~40% of energy; Japan imports ~90%.
  • Transit risks — Strait of Hormuz, Suez chokepoints.

Insecure countries

Many LIDCs face severe energy poverty: 600 million Africans lack electricity; biomass (firewood, charcoal) supplies 60% of sub-Saharan energy, causing deforestation, indoor air pollution (3.2 m deaths/year globally) and time-poverty for women collecting fuel.

Why it matters

Energy access is a development multiplier — without electricity, hospitals cannot refrigerate vaccines, schools cannot run computers, and small businesses cannot grow. SDG 7 targets universal access by 2030.

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Practice questions

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  1. Question 14 marks

    Define energy security and the energy gap (4 marks)

    Explain what is meant by "energy security" and "the energy gap". [4 marks]

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  2. Question 28 marks

    Examine factors affecting access to energy (8 marks)

    Examine the physical and human factors that affect a country's access to energy. [8 marks]

    Level mark scheme (Edexcel B levelled):

    LevelMarksDescriptor
    L11–3Simple statements about energy types; little linkage to access; no named places.
    L24–6Some explanation of physical and human factors; partial coverage; some named examples.
    L37–8Detailed examination linking multiple factors to specific countries; balanced physical and human factors; evaluative conclusion.

    Indicative content:

    • Physical factors: geology determines fossil-fuel reserves (Saudi Arabia's oil, Qatar's gas, Australia's coal); climate and topography enable renewables (Iceland's geothermal from volcanic activity, Norway's HEP from mountainous terrain and high rainfall, Saharan solar potential).
    • Economic: HICs can afford imports and infrastructure (UK importing LNG); LIDCs cannot — DRC has under 20% electricity access despite huge HEP potential on the Congo River.
    • Political: stable governance enables long-term investment; instability deters it (Yemen civil war collapsed grid). Energy is geopolitical: Russia weaponised gas in 2022, OPEC+ controls oil prices.
    • Technological: R&D capacity unlocks new sources — USA shale gas via fracking, UK offshore wind (world's largest fleet), French nuclear (70% of electricity).
    • Conclusion: physical endowment sets the ceiling, but human factors (wealth, governance, technology) determine whether that potential is realised — explaining why two equally-endowed countries can have very different access levels.
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  3. Question 312 marks

    Evaluate strategies to reduce the energy gap (12 marks)

    Evaluate the strategies a country could use to improve its energy security and reduce the energy gap. [12 marks]

    Level mark scheme:

    LevelMarksDescriptor
    L11–4Limited description of energy types; no genuine evaluation; weak/no examples.
    L25–8Sound explanation of multiple strategies; partial recognition of trade-offs; named examples used.
    L39–12Detailed evaluation; clear strengths AND weaknesses balanced; multiple named examples; justified conclusion on the most effective approach.

    Indicative content (supply-side strategies):

    • Diversify the mix: UK transition from 40% coal (1990) to 27% renewables + 14% nuclear (2023) reduces single-source dependence.
    • Domestic renewables: Denmark generates 50%+ from wind; reduces import dependency. Capital cost high, intermittency issue.
    • Nuclear: France 70% nuclear electricity; low-carbon, reliable but expensive (Hinkley Point C £32 bn) and politically controversial post-Fukushima.
    • Fossil-fuel domestic extraction: USA shale boom made it net-exporter; environmental costs (groundwater, methane).
    • Imports + storage: Japan imports 90% of energy via LNG; vulnerable to price shocks but unavoidable given geology.

    Indicative content (demand-side):

    • Energy efficiency: UK efficiency improved 19% since 2005; insulation, LED lighting, smart meters.
    • Behaviour change and pricing signals: carbon tax (Sweden $130/tCO2) cuts demand.
    • Microgrids in LIDCs: Solar Sister (Tanzania, Uganda) brings off-grid solar to villages without national grid build-out.

    Conclusion: no single strategy is sufficient. The most resilient approach is a balanced mix — a diverse domestic supply (renewables + nuclear), demand reduction through efficiency, and strategic reserves/imports for shocks. For LIDCs, decentralised microgrids may leapfrog the costly national-grid stage that Europe required, just as mobile phones leapfrogged landlines.

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Flashcards

T9.2 — Access to energy: factors affecting global access, the energy gap and energy security

7-card SR deck for Edexcel Geography (leaves batch 2) topic T9.2

7 cards · spaced repetition (SM-2)

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