DATA ANALYSIS

Data Analysis

Data Analysis: Sub-National Energy Consumption

Introduction

Renewable energy sources can be replenished in a single human lifetime, rather than over many lifetimes, as with oil or coal. Renewable are therefore often cited by advocates of alternative energy as humanity's best hope for meeting the world's growing energy demands. There are different types of renewable energy, their advantages and drawbacks. Common energy sources such as oil, coal and natural gas are finite; they cannot be replenished in the near future. As such, they are termed nonrenewable. This paper presents an analysis of sub-national energy consumption statistics obtained from Department of Energy & Climate Change.

In June 2001, government proposed overhauling the nation's energy policy. Driven by the widespread concern over energy shortages and rolling blackouts in the United Kingdom during the past year--and the potential for similar problems throughout the country--the administration unveiled a series of measures that it believed would stabilize the nation's energy supply and stave off future crises (Facts on File, 2009). However, the proposals have sparked an intense partisan debate. The debate about the crisis largely centers on two fundamental issues: the appropriate role of government in the energy marketplace, and the extent to which environmental priorities should shape energy policies. The administration favors minimal intervention in the energy industry. Government regulation of how utilities sell energy, distorts the supply-and-demand workings of the economy, skewing production levels and causing energy shortages and price spikes (Paksoy, 2007).

To prevent future energy shortages, stabilize consumer prices and avoid dependence on foreign energy sources, proponents say, the government should instead act to boost the supply of energy. In fact, in energy bill, Government proposes building more than 1,000 new power plants and trying to find additional domestic oil reserves.

Data Analysis

The inside of the Earth contains abundant reserves of hot water, generating considerable energy. Geothermal power plants harness that energy to produce electricity in three different ways. The oldest method, known as dry steam, was first used in Italy in 1904. It takes advantage of steam from underground water to directly power turbines (structures resembling giant fans) that produce electricity. Flash steam plants, on the other hand, pump hot subterranean water into a low-pressure tank, causing it to "flash" into steam for electrical generation. A third type of facility, known as a binary-cycle plant, uses a secondary fluid with a lower boiling point than water. When moderately hot water is pumped out of the Earth, its temperature is still high enough to vaporize the secondary fluid, which then powers the turbine.

While geothermal energy is both abundant and environmentally cleaner than fossil fuels (dry steam and flash plants produce comparatively low carbon emissions, and binary-cycle plants produce almost none), there are some drawbacks (Facts on File, 2009). Currently, geothermal electrical production is expensive and relatively inefficient, and locating suitable sources of water can be difficult; areas in which hot water is close to the surface, such as sites containing geysers, are rare, and power companies often must undertake costly drilling to try to locate deeper ...