Energy Consumption

Factors affecting energy consumption: Development Availability Affordability Cultural Climate HEP:Availability - needs rivers/large water reservesAffordability - need the money to develop it - Central Africa has rivers but lacks moneyDevelopment - Three Gorges Dam - need to be developed Climate - precipitation = more rainfall that fills up rivers. No HEP in Saharan Africa because of unpredictable rainfall patternsSolar Energy:Would expect to see most solar production in equatorial areas such as Saharan Africa. However energy needs to be transported long distances so lots of energy would be lostCultural - Germany and Finland are big believers in renewable energyAffordability - not all places are able to afford to develop solar energyGeothermal Energy;Availability - mainly produced on plate boundaries and hotspotsAffordability - cannot afford technology, expertise, set up to have geothermal power plantsWind Energy:Development - being able to develop turbinesAvailability - physical space for wind farms, windier out at seaCulture - people perception - people don't want wind farms in their back garden, not nice to look at (NIMBYism). Germany and Sweden big believers in renewable energy also they don't have enough other resources to create energyNuclear Energy:Availability - lot less geographically dependent - need supply of uraniumDevelopment - Africa and S.E. Asia can't have it - health and safety issuesCulture - USA cold war history