The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, at the tops of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in mountains - places where the wind is strong and reliable. To be worthwhile, you need an average wind speed of around 25 km/h. Most wind farms in the UK are in Cornwall or Wales.
Isolated places such as farms may have their own wind generators. In California, several "wind farms" supply electricity to homes around Los Angeles.
Nuclear energy
Nuclear power is generated using Uranium, which is a metal mined in various parts of the world.
The first large-scale nuclear power station opened at Calder Hall in Cumbria, England, in 1956.
Some military ships and submarines have nuclear power plants for engines.
Nuclear power produces around 11% of the world's energy needs, and produces huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel, without the pollution that you'd get from burning fossil fuels.
Nuclear power costs about the same as coal, so it's not expensive to make. It also doesn’t produce smoke or carbon dioxide, so it does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. What’s also good about it is it produces huge amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel. It produces small amounts of waste. And it’s reliable.
However, Although not much waste is produced, it is very, very dangerous. It must be sealed up and buried for many years to allow the radioactivity to die away. And many years for this is about 50,000 years. As I said, Nuclear power is reliable, but a lot of money has to be spent on safety - if it does go wrong, a nuclear accident can be a major disaster.
Tidal/wave energy
Tidal:
The tide moves a huge amount of water twice each day, and harnessing it could provide a great deal of energy - around 20% of Britain's needs. Although the energy supply is reliable and plentiful, converting it into useful electrical power is not easy. There are eight main sites around Britain where tidal power stations could usefully be built, including the Severn, Dee, Solway and Humber estuaries. Only around 20 sites in the world have been identified as possible tidal power stations.
The largest tidal power station in the world (and the only one in Europe) is in the Rance estuary in northern France. It was built in 1966.
A major drawback of tidal power stations is that they can only generate when the tide is flowing in or out - in other words, only for 10 hours each day. However, tides are totally predictable, so we can plan to have other power stations generating at those times when the tidal station is out of action.
Once you've built the dam, tidal power is free. Again this also produces no greenhouse gases or other waste. It also doesn’t need any fuel, it produces electricity reliably, it’s not expensive to maintain, and the tides are totally predictable.
However, they’re very expensive to build. Also affects a very wide area - the environment is changed for many miles upstream and downstream. Many birds rely on the tide uncovering the mud flats so that they can feed. As well it only provides power for around 10 hours each day, when the tide is actually moving in or out. And there are very few suitable sites for tidal power stations.
Wave:
Ocean waves are caused by the wind as it blows across the sea. Waves are a powerful source of energy. The problem is that it's not easy to harness this energy and convert it into electricity in large amounts. And so make wave power stations are rare.
Once it’s made the energy is free - no fuel needed, no waste produced like the others. It’s not expensive to operate and maintain and can produce a great deal of energy.
But it all depends on the waves - sometimes you'll get loads of energy, sometimes nothing.
The problem is it needs a suitable site, where waves are consistently strong. They can also be noisy. And it must be able to withstand very rough weather.
One big problem is that of building and anchoring something that can withstand the roughest conditions at sea, yet can generate a reasonable amount of power from small waves. It's not much use if it only works during storms. A company called Wavegen now operate a commercial wave power station called "Limpet" on the Scottish island of Islay.
Japans energy
Japan is a very wealthy country in East Asia. The Government there is currently deciding upon it’s energy policy for the next few years and it has asked me to make some recommendations about what types of energy the country should use.
They have given me the following statements to cut down my choices:
Japanese industry is very successful and wants the cheapest supply of energy if it is to continue making profits.
If I decide to concentrate on renewable energy then it is possible that some people many lose there jobs. This is because industry will have to pay more for its energy and so there will be reduced profits.
However, many Japanese are worried about high levels of pollution in the country.
I will go through each source of energy step by step……….
Nuclear energy
Nuclear energy a very good source of energy but most likely with the Japanese it’ll be different.
This source of energy fits in nearly all of the statements.
It is cheap to make (similar price to coal), people are not likely to lose there jobs and it doesn’t cause pollution.
But it is very risky. Although it is reliable you don’t know what could happen and the cost of facilities to make it safer would be really high.
Also a bit of history could come in. Many have probably not of forgotten the nuclear bombs that hit Japan in 1945 which ended the second world war. Many people wouldn’t dream of taking that risk.
Solar/wind/tidal/wave energy
Solar:
Solar energy wouldn’t be very successful in Japan. As well as being very expensive to build, the cost to maintain is more than the amount of electricity you get from it.
It doesn’t make any pollution but the government may find themselves paying more than they earn because of solar energy, therefore they won’t make any profit.
Wind:
Wind is very similar. The building itself isn’t expensive but where it works effectively (for example on the coast) can be expensive. They can affect television reception if people live nearby. But Japan is a very mountainous country and so may have very windy parts.
Tidal/wave:
Both expensive to build and both very difficult to find places for them. But the energy is free once built and like all the others makes no pollution.
Conclusion
I have chosen more than one energy source because it wouldn’t be enough with just one.
As well as getting energy with this your being efficient. Methane from waste can be used for cooking, heating and other house hold things that need gas. And then the waste after can be used as compost.
Demand for electrical power changes throughout the day. For example, when a popular TV programme finishes, a huge number of people go out to the kitchen to put the kettle on, causing a sudden peak in demand.
If power stations don't generate more power immediately, there'll be power cuts around the country - traffic lights will go out, causing accidents, and all sorts of other trouble will occur.
The problem is that most of our power is generated by fossil fuel power stations, which take half an hour or so to crank themselves up to full power. Nuclear power stations take much longer.
They need something that can go from nothing to full power immediately, and keep them supplied for around half an hour until the other power stations catch up. Pumped storage reservoirs are the answer I've chosen.
Without some means of storing energy for quick release, we'd be in trouble. It has little effect on the landscape and makes no pollution or waste. It’s expensive to build but the energy it makes is free. To be able to use it again you need to pump more water. It’s also good because Japan has a lot of mountains to construct one
And the main source of energy is nuclear power. It may be risky but it’s everything Japan wanted.
It makes no pollution, it’s cheap and it’s not likely to make people lose there jobs because it’s not renewable.