*OCE/16013*

THE ISSUETHE ENERGY GAP: IS THE ANSWER BLOWING IN THE WIND?

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

• This Resource Booklet must be handed in to your teacher at the end of each lesson. You must not write on the booklet.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

• The following abbreviations may be used: MEDC – More Economically Developed Country. LEDC – Less Economically Developed Country. EU – European Union which includes the United Kingdom.• This document consists of 12 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

CONTENTS OF THE RESOURCE BOOKLET

Resource 1 – The supply of electricity in the UKResource 2 – Energy in the UKResource 3 – Meeting the UK’s renewable energy commitmentsResource 4 – Wind farms in the UK (2007)Resource 5 – The advantages and disadvantages of wind powerResource 6 – The development of wind power around the worldResource 7 – Some people’s objections to wind farmsResource 8 – Wind farms on the Isle of Lewis, Western Isles of ScotlandResource 9 – Objections to Lewis Wind Power’s proposals Resource 10 – Isle of Lewis – proposed wind farm development areas

GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

GEOGRAPHY C (1988) 2401/01/02/RBDecision Making Exercise (DME) (Foundation and Higher Tier)

RESOURCE BOOKLET

This Resource Booklet should be available tocandidates for up to three working weeks priorto this date.

OCR is an exempt CharityTurn over

© OCR 2010DC (LEO/KN) 16013/4

Friday 29 January 2010Morning

Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes

THIS IS A LEGACY SPECIFICATION

2

2401/01/02/RB Jan10© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 1

The supply of electricity in the UK

400 kV line

280 kV line

Pumped storage

Nuclear

Hydro

Coal-fired

Oil-fired

Gas-fired

Dual-fired

A modern economy like the UK depends upon an efficient system of energy provision. Energy is needed to power machines in factories, for heating and lighting homes, and for computers and other machines in offices. In the UK the energy is provided by electricity.

Energy sourcesFor much of the twentieth century coal-fired power stations were used to generate most of the UK’s electricity. In the 1960s they produced over 75% of the electricity and oil-burning stations generated most of the rest. Nuclear power was introduced during the 1950s; the most recent nuclear power station to be opened was Sizewell B, in 1995. At the end of the century gas-burning power generation overtook coal as the major fuel source. Gas-fired power stations are cheaper and quicker to build than coal, oil or nuclear plants, and produce less pollution. The ‘dash for gas’ was rapid – in 1992 gas had only a 2% share but today over 35% of the UK’s power is generated from gas.

Renewable energy sourcesCoal, oil and gas are fossil fuels, and will eventually run out. They are also a major source of atmospheric pollution. Many people feel that the long-term answer to our energy needs lies in non-polluting ‘natural’ sources of energy that are renewable and will never run out. The force of river water (hydroelectric power), tides or wind can be used to turn turbines, or energy can be harnessed from the sun (solar power). Schemes like this make a relatively small but growing contribution to our power requirements.

HV DC linkto France2000 MW

The electricity supply system in Great Britain

3

2401/01/02/RB Jan10 Turn over© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 2

Energy in the UK

(a) Is the UK facing a large energy gap?

The UK could be suffering planned power blackouts within the next ten years, a senior energy expert has warned. His stark prophesy predicts the country will be plunged back to the dark days of the 1970s, when electricity was rationed and hospital staff had to carry out work by candlelight.

Within a decade, the country may be generating only about 80% of the energy it needs. A generating shortfall of 7–16GW is foreseen by 2020. The immediate issue is the closure of most British nuclear power stations and many coal-fired units while demand for electricity may continue to rise. In principle, the gap could be bridged by new power stations burning gas or coal, but this would work against short-term targets and long-term aspirations to reduce greenhouse emissions. It is hoped that renewable energy sources will supply 40% of generation by 2050.

(b) Energy use and sources

0

500

1000

1500

Mill

ion

tonn

es o

il eq

uiva

lent

Ene

rgy

sour

ces

1860 1880 1900 1920 1940

Years

1960 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060

Surprise

Geothermal

Solar

Biomass

WindNuclearHydroGasOil & NGLCoalTrad bio.

This graph is based on a predictionthat energy sources will grow by2% each year.

(c) Potential amounts of alternative energy in the UK using present technology

0 50 100 150

Trillion watts per year

200 250 300 350 400

Geothermal

Large and small-scale hydro

Landfillgas

Householdrefuse burning

Wastes fromindustry and agriculture

Tidal

Solar

Crops

Wind (on land)

Wind (offshore)

Ene

rgy

sour

ces

Amount of electricity suppliedin UK in 2006

Total 1060 TWh / year

4

2401/01/02/RB Jan10© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 3

Meeting the UK’s renewable energy commitments

(a) The EU has set the UK a target of providing 15% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020. Experts say that at least 20% will have to come from wind power. Less than 2% currently comes from this source and more wind farms, both on land and offshore, will need to be built to meet the 2020 targets.

Why wind energy?

• Thanks to its position on the edge of the continent, the UK is the windiest place in Europe. The UK receives about 40% of Europe’s wind energy.

• Since the 1980s, technology has been available to allow wind power to generate large enough amounts of electricity to make it commercially viable.

• There are now over 1000 wind turbines at over 100 sites in the UK.

• There are large offshore wind farms at Blyth, North Hoyle and Scroby Sands.

(b) The relative costs of power generation (2008)

Energy source Nuclear Coal Onshore wind Offshore wind

Cost per kWh. 2.2p 2.5p 3.7 - 5.4p 5.5 – 7.2p

(c) Types of wind farm

Offshore wind farm at North Hoyle, Wales

Onshore wind farm at Eaglesham, Scotland

5

2401/01/02/RB Jan10 Turn over© OCR 2010

Win

d f

arm

pro

ject

s

Ope

ratio

nal

155

Und

erC

onst

ruct

ion

37

Pas

sed

115

In P

lann

ing

219

Blue

prin

t for

a g

reen

er fu

ture

Turb

ine

pow

er

1950

2005

Coal

100%

Ope

ratio

nal

Coal

35%

Nucl

ear

19%

Rene

wab

les

6%

Gas

40%

2020

Coal

20%

Nucl

ear

5%Re

newa

bles

3

5%

Gas

40%

Unde

r con

stru

ctio

n

Pass

ed

In p

lann

ing

Win

d tu

rbin

es

1900

556 13

17

3454

Pow

er in

Meg

awat

ts

2294

.54

354.

2 4604

.25

9850

.73

Annu

al h

omes

equ

ival

ent

1.2m

0.76

m

2.57

m

5.51

m

Gre

ener

ene

rgy

in p

rogr

ess

Win

d fa

rm n

umbe

rs g

row

as

the

UKtri

es to

mee

t its

201

0 re

new

able

ener

gy ta

rget

s

Win

d f

arm

s in

th

e U

K (

2007

)

SOU

RC

E: B

ritis

h W

ind

Ener

gy A

ssoc

iatio

n

RE

SO

UR

CE

4

6

2401/01/02/RB Jan10© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 5

The advantages and disadvantages of wind power

Advantages

The wind is free and with modern technology it can be captured efficiently. The energy is renewable.

Once wind turbines are built, the energy they produce does not cause greenhouse gases or other pollutants.

Each turbine takes up only a small plot of land and the land below can still be used for agriculture or leisure pursuits.

Many people find wind farms an interesting feature of the landscape. Some have visitor centres for tourists.

Remote areas that are not connected to the electricity power grid can use wind turbines to produce their own supply.

Wind turbines have a role to play in both MEDCs and LEDCs for renewable energy production.

Single turbines are available in a range of sizes to suit residents and businesses in towns and villages.

Wind energy is available everywhere so no one country is totally dependent on external supplies, such as oil and gas.

7

2401/01/02/RB Jan10 Turn over© OCR 2010

Disadvantages

The strength of the wind is not constant, so turbines do not produce the same amount of electricity all the time.

Many people feel that the countryside should be left untouched by such large structures.

Wind turbines can be noisy. Each one can generate the same level of noise as a family car travelling at 70 mph.

Many people see wind turbines as unsightly and ugly, especially if viewed from their own property.

When wind turbines are being manufactured, some pollution is produced. Therefore, wind power is not totally clean.

Large wind farms are needed. Even the large turbines serve only 500 homes.

Planning permission is difficult to get because wind farms often cause protests from local residents and environmentalists.

Many suitable sites for wind farms are far away from centres of population so transmission costs may be high.

8

2401/01/02/RB Jan10© OCR 2010

RE

SO

UR

CE

6

Th

e d

evel

op

men

t o

f w

ind

po

wer

aro

un

d t

he

wo

rld

Den

mar

k - W

ind

pow

er p

rovi

ded

20%

of e

lect

ricity

in 2

007

and

Dan

ish

com

pani

es p

rodu

ce a

lmos

t hal

f of

the

wor

ld’s

win

d tu

rbin

es. T

he c

ount

ry h

as v

ery

larg

e of

fsho

re w

ind

reso

urce

s an

d la

rge

area

s of

shal

low

wat

er fo

r ea

sy c

onst

ruct

ion.

On

land

, the

rear

e m

any

win

d tu

rbin

e co

oper

ativ

es w

here

fam

ilies

buy

shar

es in

a lo

cal t

urbi

ne. T

here

hav

e be

en fe

wob

ject

ions

to w

ind

pow

er in

Den

mar

k be

caus

e th

eco

untr

y ne

eded

to r

educ

e its

rel

ianc

e on

foss

il fu

els

for

both

cos

t and

env

ironm

enta

l rea

sons

.

Ind

ia-

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f win

d po

wer

beg

an in

the

1990

s an

d ha

s in

crea

sed

rapi

dly.

It n

ow h

asth

e fo

urth

larg

est i

nsta

lled

win

d po

wer

cap

acity

in th

e w

orld

and

is th

e le

adin

g LE

DC

for

win

dpo

wer

. One

of t

he le

adin

g gl

obal

win

d tu

rbin

e m

anuf

actu

rers

is In

dian

and

ther

e ha

ve b

een

few

ob

ject

ions

to tu

rbin

es. I

n Ta

mil

Nad

u, th

e M

uppa

ndal

w

ind

farm

is th

e la

rges

t in

Asi

a an

d pr

ovid

es th

e pr

evio

usly

poo

r vi

llage

rs w

ith e

lect

ricity

for

wor

k.

Gh

ana-

win

d po

wer

is b

eing

dev

elop

ed

to h

elp

prov

ide

rura

l com

mun

ities

with

a

mor

e re

liabl

e so

urce

of e

lect

ricity

. The

aim

is

to n

ot o

nly

enha

nce

ener

gy g

ener

atio

n bu

t to

bene

fit lo

cal c

rafts

men

. In

the

villa

ge s

choo

l at K

penu

in th

e V

olta

R

egio

n, s

choo

l chi

ldre

n no

w u

se a

co

mpu

ter

and

a te

levi

sion

mor

e of

ten.

Net

her

lan

ds

- th

ere

is a

long

his

tory

of

win

dmill

s. M

oder

n tu

rbin

es a

re n

ow b

eing

bui

lt,

but t

he la

ck o

f spa

ce h

as m

eant

that

pro

gres

s ha

s be

en s

low

. The

firs

t maj

or o

ffsho

re w

ind

farm

onl

y op

ened

in 2

007

and

the

Dut

ch p

lan

to g

ener

ate

9% o

f ele

ctric

ity fr

om r

enew

able

so

urce

s by

201

2. T

he g

over

nmen

t has

map

ped

out s

ites

for

65 w

ind

farm

s in

the

Nor

th S

ea,

but t

here

are

man

y ob

ject

ions

.

Sp

ain

- th

e th

ird la

rges

t pro

duce

r of

win

d en

ergy

in

the

wor

ld. W

ind

pow

er g

ives

6%

of i

ts e

nerg

y ne

eds.

T

here

are

incr

easi

ng o

bjec

tions

to w

ind

farm

s fr

om

both

con

serv

atio

nist

s an

d th

e to

uris

t ind

ustr

y. O

n S

pain

’s A

tlant

ic c

oast

, bird

love

rs, f

ishe

rmen

and

to

uris

t offi

cial

s ha

ve jo

ined

forc

es to

opp

ose

the

crea

tion

of o

ffsho

re w

ind

farm

s.

US

A-

win

d po

wer

is s

een

as a

idin

g re

gion

al

econ

omic

dev

elop

men

t, in

crea

sing

pow

erge

nera

tion

optio

ns, p

rote

ctin

g th

e lo

cal

envi

ronm

ent a

nd in

crea

sing

nat

iona

l sec

urity

.It

coul

d pr

ovid

e 20

% o

f ele

ctric

ityne

eds

by 2

030

prov

idin

g pr

oduc

tion

cost

s ca

n be

low

ered

. Sta

tes

such

as

Texa

s,

Cal

iforn

ia a

nd Io

wa

lead

the

way

in te

rms

of w

ind

ener

gy p

rodu

ced.

N

030

00

km

9

2401/01/02/RB Jan10 Turn over© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 7Some people’s objections to wind farms

Wind farms are disastrous for wildlife that inhabits the sea and sky around our coasts.Seal breeding levels have been badly affected along North Sea coasts.

Conservationist

Very high wind speeds can damage the blades of turbines, knocking them out of actionand requiring expensive repairs.

Weather expert

The noise and flicker of the blades of a wind turbine near stables can spook the horsesand cause an accident.

Horse racing trainer

Wind turbines, on average, give about 20% of their maximum power over a three-monthperiod. You would need over 24 000 turbines to replace one coal-fired power station.

Energy expert

Wind turbines which rotate quickly could cause epileptic seizures due to the constantlyflickering blades.

Doctor

It is difficult to think of a worse act of cultural vandalism than putting turbines near ourGrade 1 listed parish church. The 120 metre high towers would be a terrible eyesore and spoil the views for local people. Property prices would be adversely affected.

Local councillor

A wind farm’s impact on the landscape is often far too great to allow development. For aesthetic or environmental reasons many selected sites are not in the right place.

Planning inspector

Onshore wind is the costliest form of electricity for the least output, and offshore windwill be even more expensive. The consumer will have to absorb these costs.

Professor of Economics

Wind farms offshore leave many questions unanswered about corrosion, shipping safetyand shoreline intrusion. Wind unreliability and intermittency makes it an ineffective source of electricity.

Newspaper reporter

10

2401/01/02/RB Jan10© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 8

Wind farms on the Isle of Lewis, Western Isles of Scotland.

Factfile

Location Largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland

Population 18 489, mostly on the east coast

Main town Stornoway

Altitude Lower land to the north, higher land to the south

Wildlife Eagles, red deer and seals found in conservation areas

Geography Sandy beaches give way to a peat-covered plateau in the centre of the island. Apart from one village, all settlements are on the coast. There are 11 peaks over 300 metres. The coastline has many sea lochs with some high cliffs.

Geology Mainly igneous rocks

Climate Cool, moist, with frequent high winds

Proposals for wind farms

The company, Lewis Wind Power, wishes to develop part of the island as a wind farm, building 181 wind turbines and associated roads, substations and power lines. The site would supply enough ‘green energy’ for 20% of Scotland’s domestic electricity. The project would take 3–4 years to complete.

Lewis Wind Power state that the advantages of this project include: • stimulating the local economy by buying goods and services locally • setting up a turbine manufacture and assembly yard on the island • helping to develop ‘green jobs’ and sustainable industry in the area • injecting a large amount of revenue into the area from renting of land • generating enough renewable energy to help meet UK targets • stopping the continuing decline in population in the area.

The typical landscape of central Lewis

11

2401/01/02/RB Jan10 Turn over© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 9

Objections to Lewis Wind Power’s proposals

The Scottish Parliament

Reasons: 1) Adverse impacts on the Lewis

Peatland Protection Area. 2) Huge public opposition – 11 000

objections received. 3) It would mean building 140 km of

road, 8 electrical sub-stations, 137 pylons and 5 small rock quarries.

Moorlands Without Turbines Group

Reasons: 1) Irreversible damage to one of the

country’s most important wetland sites.

2) Would not get through the European Habitats Directive.

3) Environmental vandalism – blanket bog is as rare as the rainforest.

RSPB

Reasons: 1) The environmental impact could be

30 times worse than expected. 2) Could result in the loss of 20

red-throated divers, 50 merlin and 50 golden eagles.

3) 350 pairs of golden plover and 300 pairs of dunlin could be displaced from the island.

Greenpeace

Reasons: 1) The laying of an undersea cable

could disturb rare marine habitats. 2) A variety of rare birds and marine

wildlife could be displaced or killed by the development.

3) The scheme is far too big for such a small island.

Local Crofters

Reasons: 1) Crofters rely on common grazing

land and 50% could be lost if the scheme goes ahead.

2) Most years about 5000 lambs are sold on the mainland which brings in a large revenue.

3) The environment, the landscape and the peatlands are worth more than any wind farm.

The Church of Scotland

Reasons: 1) Many villagers on the Island practise

restraint, religious observance and a disdain for worldly goods.

2) Opposition in Lewis is not just from the middle class, but from all classes.

3) The compensation offered is no more than bribery.

What the landscape may look like

12

2401/01/02/RB Jan10© OCR 2010

RESOURCE 10

Isle of Lewis – proposed wind farm development areas

Wind farm proposedby Lewis Wind Power

0 10 kmScale

Proposed turbines and wind farm site roadPublic roadTownshipImportant Bird AreaSpecial Protection AreaSpecial Area of ConservationNational Scenic Area

Turbine height to blade tip - up to 140 metresRotor diameter - up to 100 mTurbine capacity - up to 3 MWProbable limit of turbine visibility - 46 kmPylons - New transmission system (275kV/400kV) will be required

N

Copyright Information

OCR is committed to seeking permission to reproduce all third-party content that it uses in its assessment materials. OCR has attempted to identify and contact all copyright holders whose work is used in this paper. To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced in the OCR Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations, is given to all schools that receive assessment material and is freely available to download from our public website (www.ocr.org.uk) after the live examination series.

If OCR has unwittingly failed to correctly acknowledge or clear any third-party content in this assessment material, OCR will be happy to correct its mistake at the earliest possible opportunity.

For queries or further information please contact the Copyright Team, First Floor, 9 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1GE.

OCR is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group; Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.