Resource Provision Energy: Key Terms (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography): Revision Note

Resource Provision Energy: Key Terms

Energy types

• Fuelwood – Wood burned for cooking and heating.

• Non-renewable energy – Finite sources such as oil, coal, and gas.

• Renewable energy – Infinite sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal.

Increasing global production & consumption

• Energy demand – The total amount of energy required by a country or population.

• Energy production – The generation of energy from various sources.

• Energy security – The ability of a nation to secure affordable, reliable energy.

• Energy supply – The total amount of energy available for use.

Global patterns of energy

• Energy deficit – When a country uses more energy than it produces.

• Energy surplus – When a country produces more energy than it consumes.

• HIC/LIC energy use – Wealthier countries use more energy due to industry and technology.

• Physical factors – Geology, climate, and access to fossil fuels.

• Political factors – Government policies, conflict, or corruption affecting energy.

Variations in energy use

• Access to electricity – A measure of how many people have reliable electricity.

• Energy efficiency – Using less energy to perform the same task.

• Industrialisation – Increases energy use as countries develop industries.

• Transport systems – Energy-intensive in urban and high-income areas.

Advantages & disadvantages of energy types

• Biomass – Organic material used as fuel.

• Coal – A fossil fuel used in electricity generation and heavy industry.

• Geothermal energy – Heat energy from beneath the Earth’s surface.

• Hydroelectric power (HEP) – Electricity produced by water turning turbines.

• Natural gas – A cleaner fossil fuel often used for heating and electricity.

• Nuclear energy – Power generated by splitting uranium atoms.

• Oil – A fossil fuel mainly used in transport and manufacturing.

• Renewable energy – Sources that naturally replenish like wind, solar, and hydro.

• Solar power – Electricity generated from sunlight using panels.

• Tidal power – Energy from tidal movements.

• Wave power – Energy from surface waves on oceans.

• Wind power – Electricity produced by wind turbines.

Strategies to increase energy supply

• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) – Capturing CO₂ from power plants and storing it underground.

• Energy conservation – Reducing energy use through efficiency and behaviour change.

• Fracking – Extracting natural gas from shale rock.

• Micro-hydro schemes – Small-scale hydropower systems.

• Renewable investment – Funding the expansion of clean energy.

• Subsidies – Government support for energy development.

Case study: Norway

• Electric vehicle incentives – Government policies to increase use of electric cars.

• Energy mix – Norway's balance between hydroelectricity, oil, and gas.

• Hydroelectric dominance – 90% of electricity from hydropower.

• Wind energy expansion – Growth of wind turbines as a supplementary source.