National and Global Energy Resources

This guide covers sub-topic 4.1.3 National and global energy resources, the third of three sub-topics in Topic 4.1 Energy, from the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification (first teaching September 2016). This content is written using the standalone Physics numbering, but it is not physics-only: the same material is examinable as sub-topic 6.1.3 in GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464), within Trilogy’s own Topic 6.1 Energy. A Combined Science student studying for Trilogy should use this guide too.

Before studying this

Read Conservation and Dissipation of Energy first for the underlying ideas about useful and wasted energy transfer.

Syllabus coverage

AQA GCSE PHYSICS (8463) — Sub-topic 4.1.3, also GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy (8464) — Sub-topic 6.1.3

Students should be able to describe the main energy sources available and to distinguish between energy resources that are renewable and energy resources that are non-renewable. Students should be able to describe the uses of energy resources for the generation of electricity, for heating (including in industry, transport, and in the domestic context of the National Grid), and understand that different energy resources are more or less reliable than others.

Students should be able to give a broad, general description of the main energy sources available for use on Earth, including: fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas), nuclear fuel, bio-fuel, wind, hydro-electricity, geothermal, the tides, the Sun, and water waves. Students should be able to describe the main uses of these energy resources, and distinguish between them in terms of renewable and non-renewable.

Students should be able to describe the environmental issues that may arise from the use of different energy resources, and consider patterns and trends in the use of energy resources — for example, that the use of fossil fuels for the generation of electricity in the UK has been decreasing and the use of some renewable resources for the generation of electricity has been increasing over recent decades. Students should also be able to describe the environmental, economic and social issues regarding energy resources.

Renewable vs. non-renewable resources

A non-renewable energy resource is one that will run out — it is being used up faster than it can be replaced. A renewable energy resource is one that is being (or can be) replenished as it is used, so it will not run out. “Renewable” is not the same claim as “environmentally harmless” – a resource can be renewable and still cause genuine environmental, economic or social issues, such as large-scale hydro-electric dams affecting river ecosystems, or wind farms affecting local land use. The main energy resources available for use on Earth are:

• Non-renewable: fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), nuclear fuel
• Renewable: bio-fuel, wind, hydro-electricity, geothermal, the tides, the Sun (solar), and water waves

Uses of energy resources

Energy resources are used for generating electricity, for heating (in industry, homes, and via district or National Grid systems), and for transport (fuels for vehicles). Resources vary in their reliability — for example, wind and solar depend on weather conditions and are less consistently available than fossil fuels or nuclear power, which can generate reliably on demand.

Environmental, economic and social issues

Different energy resources bring different environmental issues: fossil fuel combustion releases carbon dioxide (contributing to climate change) and other pollutants; nuclear power produces radioactive waste requiring long-term storage; large-scale hydro-electric or wind installations can affect land use and local ecosystems. There are also economic considerations (cost of infrastructure, fuel availability, and running costs) and social considerations (visual impact, local opposition, energy security, and job creation).

A key trend to know: the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation in the UK has been decreasing, while the use of some renewable resources has been increasing, over recent decades — reflecting national and international policy responses to climate change and energy security.

Reliability and environmental impact are separate dimensions, not the same judgement. Nuclear power is highly reliable – it can generate large amounts of electricity on demand regardless of weather – but produces radioactive waste requiring long-term storage. Wind power has comparatively few environmental drawbacks but is unreliable, since it depends on weather conditions. A country choosing between resources for energy security (reducing reliance on imported fuels) typically weighs both dimensions together: nuclear power reduces import dependence through reliable domestic generation, while wind or solar do so by drawing on domestically available weather resources instead of imported fuel.

Worked example. A power station burns coal to generate electricity. State whether this is a renewable or non-renewable resource, and give one environmental issue associated with its use.

Coal is a non-renewable resource (a fossil fuel). One environmental issue: burning coal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change (other valid answers include air pollution or acid rain from sulfur dioxide emissions).

Common mistakes

Confusing “renewable” with “clean” — a resource can be renewable but still have environmental impacts (e.g. hydro-electric dams affecting river ecosystems). Forgetting that nuclear fuel is non-renewable despite not being a fossil fuel. Giving vague environmental answers without naming a specific issue (e.g. “it’s bad for the environment” rather than “it releases CO2, contributing to climate change”).

Quick revision checklist

• List the main energy resources and classify each as renewable or non-renewable.
• Describe the uses of energy resources: electricity generation, heating, transport.
• Compare reliability between different energy resources.
• Describe environmental, economic and social issues linked to specific resources.
• State the UK trend: decreasing fossil fuel use, increasing renewable use.

Related resources

• National and Global Energy Resources practice questions
• Conservation and Dissipation of Energy — the previous sub-topic
• Energy Changes in a System
• AQA GCSE Physics hub

This guide is intended to support, not replace, engagement with the official AQA specification and your own teacher’s guidance. Always check the current version of the specification for authoritative detail.