Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Harking.

The title of today's lesson is Energy in the UK taken from the unit Natural Resources: Can Earth Meet Our Needs.

We'll explore what energy it is that we rely on to turn on the lights, charge our phones, et cetera, and how the UK is aiming to become carbon neutral.

Today's outcome is to describe the energy sources in the UK and explain how they're becoming more sustainable.

Before we begin today's lesson, it's useful to look through some key terms that we're going to be using.

First of all, we have renewable.

This is something that can be reused and won't be used up or run out.

Non-renewable is something that cannot be replaced that will eventually run out.

Energy mix is the combination of different sources of energy used to meet a region or country's overall energy needs.

Say for example, today we're going to find out what the energy mix is for the UK.

We're going to find out what sources of energy we rely on to turn on the lights.

Sustainable is our final key term.

This means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

You may have had different versions of this definition, which include the idea of sustainability, ensuring that the economy, society, and the environment are all managed carefully.

We have two parts to our lesson.

Firstly, which energy sources do we use in the UK, and then how is the energy mix getting more sustainable? Let's start with which energy sources do we use in the UK? The UK relied on both renewable and non-renewable energy sources in 2024.

The pie chart here displays where the energy that the UK uses comes from.

So on the left hand side, we can see that over 50% of the energy we use is from renewable resources, which is brilliant.

On the right hand side we have coal, natural gas, and nuclear, which are all non-renewable resources.

These actually account for less than 50%, which is really positive.

It's worth noting that the last coal fire power station closed in September, 2024.

So this is actually far closer to 0% now.

There might be an occasional household that still use coal, but on a larger scale, coal is not used in the UK anymore.

In 2023, wind power became the leading source of renewable electricity in the UK, and it produced over 28% of the country's overall electricity supply.

So when we said earlier that actually over 50% of the UK's electricity comes from renewable sources, a lot of that, 28% of total, comes from wind power, and that's a really important source of electricity for us now in the UK.

It's really important that wind turbines are not sheltered from the wind by relief or by buildings 'cause obviously if the wind doesn't blow, the turbine won't turn and the electricity won't be created.

So for this reason, flat, high altitude means high-up sites, maybe on top the hill or offshore locations, offshore just means out to sea a little bit, are favoured for wind farm sites.

So these are the sorts of places you might see them as you travel around the UK.

Time for a check for understanding.

Here we have a map of a wind farm.

Why is it a good site for a wind farm here? Is it A because it's flat, B, because it is offshore, or C, there is a high altitude? Yes, there is a high altitude here.

I knew that the answer wasn't B because I can't see any sea in this image at all.

There's no large expanses of blue there.

I wasn't sure about A or C.

So I looked at the contour lines.

When you see the contour lines here, you can see that there's quite a few quite close together.

The closer the contour lines are together, the steeper it is.

So I know that it is not flat.

That means I can rule out A.

When I read the altitude on the contour lines, for example near the top, I can see 340.

I knew that that meant that that land was 340 metres above sea level, which is quite high, and it suggested to me that actually C's the correct answer.

Solar power contributed around 5% of UK electricity in 2024, and this was from rooftop solar panels, as well as solar farms. Natural gas is a non-renewable energy source piped to homes that can be burnt to produce heat for homes, so in a boiler, but also can heat food, for example on a stove top.

If homes are too remote, it might not be possible to pipe gas to them.

These homes often use oil for heating instead of gas, so that is another fossil fuel that is burnt.

Nuclear power provides a steady, low-carbon source of electricity, contributing about 14.

5 of the UK's electricity in 2024.

It is generated in power stations, which safely manage the nuclear fission process that produces heat, which is then used to create electricity.

Remote coastal locations are often chosen for nuclear power plants.

So the coastal part of this is important 'cause it allows access to cooling water from the sea.

And the remote aspect of this is important because if there's large settlements nearby, that could actually be quite dangerous, if there was a safety concern, if there was an accident, and would mean that more people were vulnerable.

Time for a check for understanding, now.

Which energy type is site X best suited to? Is it A, solar, B, wind, or C, nuclear? Well done.

Yes, a solar would be the best option.

The area is quite built up.

We can see these cream-colored buildings here, so, therefore, it'd be less appropriate for wind or nuclear power.

The UK also imports energy, such as oil, natural gas, and electricity.

This is because the UK uses a lot of energy and renewables don't always produce energy consistently.

For example, wind turbines do not produce much energy when there is a calm day with no wind.

So it's important to have a broad mix of energy so that there can be a consistent supply of energy to everybody in the UK.

And that does also include importing some.

Time for a check for understanding, now.

True or false? The UK sources and produces all of its own energy.

This is false.

And why is this false? Well done.

Yeah, so the UK imports energy such as oil, natural gas, and electricity.

And this is because the UK uses a lot of energy, and renewables don't always produce energy consistently.

For example, wind turbines don't produce energy when it's a calm day with very little wind.

Time for Task A, now.

First of all, I'd like you to select the top three sources of energy in the UK from the following list: renewables, coal, natural gas, and nuclear.

Secondly, I'd like you to complete the table to assess how suitable where you live is for different energy types.

So for example, we've got gas is suitable.

For example, gas can be piped to my home for heat and cooking as I live in an urban area.

For the next three, can you think about whether they can actually be produced as well supplied to the area that you live in? Please pause the video now to give yourself time to do this.

Well done everyone.

Let's take a look at some answers For question one.

Select the top three sources of energy in the UK.

You should have chosen renewables, natural gas, and nuclear.

For question two, complete the table to assess how suitable where you live is for different energy types.

I'm gonna show you my answer.

Now, please bear in mind that the reason section and actually even the suitability could vary dramatically depending on where you live.

So this just has to be relevant for your local area.

So wind farms for my area would be unsuitable because I'm surrounded by hills which reduce the wind.

It's quite a low area surrounded by hills.

There's not enough wind here.

It wouldn't work.

For solar, it would be suitable because it's an urban area.

There already are lots of solar panels on the roofs on the homes around where I live.

And, actually, more could be mounted, as well, to the roofs.

That would be fine.

Lastly, nuclear.

It would not be a suitable site for nuclear where I live because it is an urban area.

It's not safe because of the number of people here, if there was an accident.

And also it's inland, so there's no easy access to water for coolant.

How did your answers differ from this? Time to move on to the second section of our lesson now.

How is the UK energy mix getting more sustainable? So the UK energy mix has changed dramatically.

In 1990, this is what it looked like.

67% of energy production in the UK came from coal, which is very different today.

So now, in 2024 at least, there was 0.

8% of our energy from coal and then 0% since September, 2024.

So there's been a significant shift, and we can see that increase in renewables.

Remember, we mentioned it's over 50% for our energy from renewables.

That's really brilliant.

Natural gas has increased quite significantly as well.

So it was only 1% in 1990.

That has increased to 29.

9%.

So almost 30% in 2024.

Time for a check for understanding now.

True or false? The amount of coal used to produce electricity has increased since 1990.

Well done.

It's false.

Why is that? Yes, so coal contributed 67% to the UK energy in 1990, but this is reduced to only 0.

8% in 2024 and 0% since September, 2024.

In 2015, the Paris Agreement was signed by many countries who met and agreed the aim of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees C.

In order to achieve this aim and become more sustainable, the UK has set a targets to become carbon neutral by 2050.

This means the UK aims to balance the amount of greenhouse gases, also referred to as GHGs, emitted with the amount removed from the atmosphere.

So balancing the amount released or emitted with the amount removed from the atmosphere so that overall no additional greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere.

So the number of greenhouse gases overall should either reduce or stay the same.

Time for check of our understanding, now.

Select the correct definition of carbon neutral.

Is it A, the government doesn't track carbon emissions, B, more carbon is emitted than is removed from the atmosphere, C, the same amount or more carbon is removed from the atmosphere than is emitted, D, the country is not for or against carbon emissions? Well done.

Yes, it's C.

The same amount or more carbon is removed from the atmosphere than is emitted.

Coal is a non-renewable energy source and will run out.

It also produces greenhouse gas emissions, which worsen global warming.

The UK was very dependent on coal for electricity production in 1990.

However, the last coal fire power station was closed in September, 2024.

And this was to try and get the UK to become more carbon neutral.

Renewables have replaced the use of coal to create electricity.

So this is something that has been done on a large scale, but individuals are also involved in the process of becoming more carbon neutral.

So for example, individuals in the UK are encouraged to add insulation to their homes to trap in heat and reduce the amount of energy needed to heat their home.

So here's an example of some insulation being added to a roof.

You may have seen large rolls of fluffy stuff that can get rolled out and put into lofts just inside the underside of roofs that you can see here.

And these are great examples of insulating homes.

There are also other ways it could be done by adding layers to the outside of walls, the way walls are built, et cetera.

But this is the most common method you might have seen.

If it ever snows, it's interesting to spots the buildings, which don't have snow on the roofs.

If the snow melted off the roof, that suggests that that building does not have good insulation, as the heat has been able to escape from the building, melting the snow as it goes.

Individuals of the UK are also encouraged to buy electric vehicles over petrol and diesel, and this reduces the carbon dioxide released in the exhaust fumes.

Sam says, "If the source of electricity used to run an electric car releases less greenhouse gases than fuel for a petrol car does, then it is more sustainable." However, Jacob says, "Not everyone can afford them, though.

They are expensive." Both Sam and Jacob are correct.

Individuals in the UK are also encouraged to add renewable energy sources to their homes.

For example, solar panels.

Time for a check for understanding now.

Which are strategies used to help meet the UK's carbon neutral target by 2050.

Is it A, increased use of renewable energy, B, close down coal-fired power plants, C, open cleaner coal fire power plants, or, D, encourage customers to buy electric cars? You can choose more than one.

Well done.

There's three correct answers here.

We've got increased use of renewable energy, close down coal fire power plants, and encourage customers to buy electrical car.

Time for task B now.

First of all, I'd like you to complete the stacked bar graph to show the energy mix for the UK in 2024.

I've put the table of information here so that you can see what the percentages are for each of the energy sources.

We've seen this in pie chart format today.

You are going to put it into stacked bar graph formats.

Just to give you an idea of how to create a stacked bar graph, as you can see in the example here for 1990, the whole bar is 100%, and the bar is split up into percentages.

So you should make sure that your bar is just tall as the 1990 bar and it's just divided up into the percentages so that you add up to that total 100%.

Task two is to create a poster to advise British people how to improve their energy sustainability.

So for this, you just need some simple ideas put down in poster format.

My one I think has three ideas on it.

Please pause the video now to give yourself time to do this task.

Well done everyone.

Let's take a look at the answers.

First of all, your complete stacked bar graphs should show the energy mix with the UK in 2024 like this.

Take a look and compare your owns this one.

See if it looks about right.

Next, you should have a poster to advise British people how to improve their energy sustainability.

And this is my example.

I've got a titled "Become an Eco-Citizen." Add insulation to your home to trap in heat with a very simple diagram.

Make your next car electric and instal solar panels.

Just a simple representation of the key messages that we're trying to get across to people in order to become more sustainable with the way that they create and use their energy.

Time for our summary now.

The UK relies on both renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

Wind power is a leading source of renewable electricity in the UK.

Natural gases often still piped to homes to be burned, to heat rooms and food.

The UK has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2050.

To do this, renewables have been used to replace coal fire power plants in creating electricity.

Individuals in the UK are encouraged to insulate their homes, instal solar panels, and drive electric cars.

I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson, and I'll see you again next time.

Goodbye.