IB Environmental systems and societies Topic 7.2A Energy Sources, Global Energy Consumption and Energy Choices Revision Notes (SL/HL)

IB Environmental systems and societies Topic 7.2A Energy Sources, Global Energy Consumption and Energy Choices Revision Notes (SL/HL) | RevisionDojo

Written by official IB examiners

Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy: The Core Distinction

Energy sources split into renewable sources, which are naturally replenished, and non-renewable sources, which are finite and run out.
Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass, and tidal or wave energy.
Non-renewables include fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) and nuclear power, which uses uranium.

Common Mistake

Renewable does not mean sustainable.
A renewable source used badly can still cause harm, such as biomass cleared from forests or large dams that flood ecosystems.

Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Source	How it works	Main advantage	Main drawback
Solar	Panels convert sunlight to electricity	Vast, clean supply	Intermittent; high upfront cost
Wind	Turbines convert wind to electricity	Clean and scalable	Intermittent; noise and wildlife impact
Hydropower	Flowing water drives turbines	Reliable and long-lived	Dams disrupt rivers and displace people
Geothermal	Heat from the Earth drives turbines	Constant, low-emission	Limited to tectonically active areas
Biomass	Organic matter is burned or made into biofuel	Renewable if managed well	Emits CO₂; competes with food land
Tidal and wave	Turbines capture ocean movement	Predictable	Costly; can disturb marine life

Example

Solar: Morocco's Noor plant is one of the world's largest solar farms.
Wind: the Hornsea project off the UK is a major offshore wind farm.
Hydropower: China's Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest hydropower project.
Geothermal: Iceland gets about 30% of its electricity and most of its heating from geothermal.
Biomass: Brazil turns sugarcane into ethanol fuel.
Tidal: South Korea's Sihwa Lake station is a leading tidal plant.

Non-Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Source	How it works	Main advantage	Main drawback
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas)	Burned to release heat for power or transport	High energy density; established infrastructure	Finite; major source of CO₂ and pollution
Nuclear	Fission of uranium releases heat	Low-carbon; high, steady output	Radioactive waste and accident risk (see 7.2F)

Comparing Sustainability Across Sources

Even low-carbon sources carry costs: solar and wind need mining and manufacturing, nuclear produces long-lived waste, and hydro floods land.
Rare earth elements used in batteries, turbines, and panels are energy-intensive to mine and hard to recycle.

Energy source	Environmental impact	Economic viability	Social equity
Fossil fuels	High emissions and pollution	Historically cheap, but costs are rising	Benefits a few, harms many
Nuclear	Low emissions, but hazardous waste	High initial cost, low running cost	Safety and waste-storage concerns
Solar	Low emissions, but manufacturing impact	Costs are falling fast	Widely accessible
Wind	Low emissions, but wildlife impact	Competitive with fossil fuels	Can be community-owned
Hydroelectric	Ecosystem disruption	Cost-effective long-term	Often displaces communities

Nice try, unfortunately this paywall isn't as easy to bypass as you think. Want to help devleop the site? Join the team at https://revisiondojo.com/join-us. exercitation voluptate cillum ullamco excepteur sint officia do tempor Lorem irure minim Lorem elit id voluptate reprehenderit voluptate laboris in nostrud qui non Lorem nostrud laborum culpa sit occaecat reprehenderit

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit.

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy: The Core Distinction

Energy sources split into renewable sources, which are naturally replenished, and non-renewable sources, which are finite and run out.
Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass, and tidal or wave energy.
Non-renewables include fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) and nuclear power, which uses uranium.

Common Mistake

Renewable does not mean sustainable.
A renewable source used badly can still cause harm, such as biomass cleared from forests or large dams that flood ecosystems.

Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Source	How it works	Main advantage	Main drawback
Solar	Panels convert sunlight to electricity	Vast, clean supply	Intermittent; high upfront cost
Wind	Turbines convert wind to electricity	Clean and scalable	Intermittent; noise and wildlife impact
Hydropower	Flowing water drives turbines	Reliable and long-lived	Dams disrupt rivers and displace people
Geothermal	Heat from the Earth drives turbines	Constant, low-emission	Limited to tectonically active areas
Biomass	Organic matter is burned or made into biofuel	Renewable if managed well	Emits CO₂; competes with food land
Tidal and wave	Turbines capture ocean movement	Predictable	Costly; can disturb marine life

Example

Solar: Morocco's Noor plant is one of the world's largest solar farms.
Wind: the Hornsea project off the UK is a major offshore wind farm.
Hydropower: China's Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest hydropower project.
Geothermal: Iceland gets about 30% of its electricity and most of its heating from geothermal.
Biomass: Brazil turns sugarcane into ethanol fuel.
Tidal: South Korea's Sihwa Lake station is a leading tidal plant.

Non-Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Source	How it works	Main advantage	Main drawback
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas)	Burned to release heat for power or transport	High energy density; established infrastructure	Finite; major source of CO₂ and pollution
Nuclear	Fission of uranium releases heat	Low-carbon; high, steady output	Radioactive waste and accident risk (see 7.2F)

Comparing Sustainability Across Sources

Even low-carbon sources carry costs: solar and wind need mining and manufacturing, nuclear produces long-lived waste, and hydro floods land.
Rare earth elements used in batteries, turbines, and panels are energy-intensive to mine and hard to recycle.

Energy source	Environmental impact	Economic viability	Social equity
Fossil fuels	High emissions and pollution	Historically cheap, but costs are rising	Benefits a few, harms many
Nuclear	Low emissions, but hazardous waste	High initial cost, low running cost	Safety and waste-storage concerns
Solar	Low emissions, but manufacturing impact	Costs are falling fast	Widely accessible
Wind	Low emissions, but wildlife impact	Competitive with fossil fuels	Can be community-owned
Hydroelectric	Ecosystem disruption	Cost-effective long-term	Often displaces communities

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Topic 1: Foundation 3 subtopics

Topic 2: Ecology5 subtopics

Topic 3: Conservation and biodiversity3 subtopics

Topic 4: Water4 subtopics

Topic 5: Land2 subtopics

Topic 6: Atmosphere and climate change4 subtopics

Topic 7: Natural resources3 subtopics

Topic 8: Human populations and urban systems3 subtopics

HL lenses 3 subtopics

IB Environmental systems and societies 7.2A Energy Sources, Global Energy Consumption and Energy Choices Notes

Topic 1: Foundation 3 subtopics

Topic 2: Ecology5 subtopics

Topic 3: Conservation and biodiversity3 subtopics

Topic 4: Water4 subtopics

Topic 5: Land2 subtopics

Topic 6: Atmosphere and climate change4 subtopics

Topic 7: Natural resources3 subtopics

Topic 8: Human populations and urban systems3 subtopics

HL lenses 3 subtopics

Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy: The Core Distinction

Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Non-Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Comparing Sustainability Across Sources

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy: The Core Distinction

Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Non-Renewable Energy Sources at a Glance

Comparing Sustainability Across Sources

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account