​Introduction To Energy Resources
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Objective: To find out about the different sources of energy, where they are used and their pros and cons. 

Starter: Complete this worksheet as an overview of global energy consumption. Thanks to Greenfield Geography. 

Optional Presentation Task: To produce a 4 minute presentation in front of the rest of the class on one of the 11 major sources of global energy. 

To do this, you will need access to the Slideshare presentation underneath the video and other resources based on your energy source. 
You will have two minutes to present your energy resource then two minutes to draw your 'How it Works' diagram. The rest of the class must be able to fill in their worksheet below. 

Straightforward Task - Complete the worksheet below using the link to Greenfield Geography  (below right) to help you. 
Further information here needed? Click here... 


Guess The Energy Source
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Exam Check - Identify a form of energy and describe how it can be damaging to the natural environment. (4)


​Case Study Wind Power - France  

Use the resources in this section to complete your worksheet above. 

You will need the first video to the right and this introductory section from EDF for the first page and a half

You will need this page from BBC Bitesize to complete both of your spider diagrams.

You will need the second video to the right and this page from EDF to complete your case study 7 mark question. 

Additional Information:

The first half of this article is good and contains some good maps to show locations of wind power generation in France. 

Here is the Wikipedia page for wind power in France. 


​Quick Case Study - Fuelwood in LEDC's
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Fuelwood is the most common source of energy for people living in LEDCs - it is estimated that about 40% of the world's population rely on fuelwood.


Fuelwood is often the main source of energy because countries either can't afford to buy raw materials to produce energy, don't have the technology or money to build and operate powers stations and certainly don't have a national grid to distribute energy.


​Fuelwood has multiple functions, it can be used for cooking, heating and scaring away wild animals.


​Although using fuelwood is essential for many people it can cause environmental and social problems. 


Task 1 - Watch the video to the right hand side. Then complete this sample IGCSE Geography Paper 1 question:

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Describe the social and environmental impacts of the collection and burning of fuel wood       (5  Marks)


Case Study Nuclear Power - France

Some people consider nuclear energy to be a renewable energy. However, because nuclear energy uses uranium and uranium is non-renewable, then nuclear energy should also be considered to be non-renewable

​Task 1. Click here to be taken to a Google Map showing the location of all current and planned Nuclear Power Stations. 

a. Describe the distribution of Nuclear facilities around the world making note of patterns and high/low concentrations.   

b. Describe the distribution of the Planned (Blue) and Under Construction (Yellow Facilities) and link to what you already know about development and population growth in these areas. 

Task 2 - Read this article and make a checklist of factors relevant to locating a Nuclear Power Plant on your worksheet. 

About 80% of the energy that we are using today in our classroom in Colomiers comes from nuclear energy. 

Task 3 - Click on this EDF Google Map link and answer the following questions:

i. How many nuclear power plants are there in France?

ii. Describe the distribution of the nuclear power plants in relation to major settlements. 
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iii. Name the location of the closest nuclear power station to our school? 

Task 4 - Using your checklist from Task 1, the Google Street View and the Google Map below, annotate on the worksheet below the siting factors of Golfech Nuclear Facility. 

**The nuclear facility is in the grey area just to the south east of the confluence of the river. 
Picture
Thanks to BBC Bitesize


​Case Study H.E.P - China 

Objective: To be able to describe the siting factors and effects of the Three Gorges Dam, a hydro electric plant in China. 

Starter: Complete the first two pages of activities on the worksheet above. 

**Did you know?** - The reservoir behind the dam stretches for over 600km. That is about the same distance from Toulouse to Paris or 7 hours in the car driving along side it non stop!! 

Independent Research Task

Watch the first 22 minutes of the video to the right, completing the following 20 Question case study questions on the worksheet. 
0 - 10 Minutes
  1. What is the claim to fame of this Dam?  
  2. How long and tall is the dam?
  3. How many workers did it take to construct?
  4. How many years to build?
  5. How much power will it produce?
  6. Why was the dam built?
  7. Which river does it span?
  8. What did the authorities have to do before they created the dam?
  9. What are the benefits of the dam to the Chinese authorities?
  10. How much does each generator cost inside the dam and how many are there in total?
  11. How long is the Yangtze river?
  12. How many acres will be flooded by the reservoir?
  13. How many people will have to be relocated?
  14. What do they do with these people?
Now Fast Forward >> Skip to 15 minutes 
15 Minutes
15. Explain the effects of the dam on shipping and transportation.
16. How was the problem overcome? 

18 Minutes
17. Explain how the authorities hope to control flooding with the dam. 
18. What are the side effects of creating a dam?
Excuse the dead snails being blended!! 
19. Which groups of people would be most affected by this dam?
20. How do the Chinese authorities solve this problem? 


Case Study Thermal Power Station - England

Objective: To be able to describe the siting factors and effects of a Thermal Power station (Coal) 

Starter: Watch the video to the right and take basic bullet point notes on how coal is mined and how it is used in the combustion process to create energy. 


​Background Information - Our Location


A thermal power station is any power station that uses fossil fuels as its fuel. The Drax power station located in the county of Yorkshire in northern England, UK. The power station was initially commissioned in 1974 and generates about 1.2 GW of electricity from coal which can meet the needs of about 6% of the population of England. The power station generates electricity using coal. The location of the power station was chosen because:
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  • It is close to the River Ouse so water can be easily obtained for cooling​
  • It is close the M1 motorway so raw materials can be transported to the power station easily.
  • When built it was close to the Yorkshire coal mines - although most have now closed. A lot of the coal used in now imported from abroad. 
  • It is connected to the national grid
  • It was close to the major population centres of Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield & Newcastle. 
  • It was located well away from major cities to reduce protests (NIMBY Not In My Back Yard)
  • It has a railway nearby to help with transportation of workers and materials (coal)
  • It was built on flat land (floodplain)

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Task 1 - Watch the second video to the right (Coal Fired Power Plant) and take notes on how the Drax power station works.


Task 2 - Then using this information and the bullet point above, complete the following activity. 

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Make a note of the siting factors of a Coal Fired power station using the the following subtitles:

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1. Physical Location - Raw materials
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2. Economic Location - Transportation &  Workforce
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Task 3 - Outline the disadvantages of coal fired power stations on the surrounding environment and people (NIMBY). The infographic above right will also help. 
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Exam Practice - Complete the relevant questions on the exam paper beneath. The exam paper is on the left hand side and the insert to go with it is on the right. 
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All content copyright geographypods unless otherwise stated. 
Photos used under Creative Commons from TREEAID, JohnSeb, Tony Austin