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Energy security. Professor Jim Watson Director, Sussex Energy Group University of Sussex Research Fellow, The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. Energy security.
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Energy security Professor Jim Watson Director, Sussex Energy Group University of Sussex Research Fellow, The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Energy security • The uninterrupted physical availability of energy products on the market, at a price which is affordable for all consumers • Risks include • Disruptions to supply of fossil fuels • Insufficient investment • Technical failure • Civil unrest or blockades
Reduce and replace Reduce • More efficient use of energy and demand reduction comes first Replacement options • Renewables, including biofuels • Carbon capture and storage • Nuclear power
Short term considerations • Transport fuel accounts for around a third of current world energy consumption • UK uses liquid fuel for most of its transport energy needs • Currently no alternatives to liquid fuel for air transport
How might biofuels help? “Biofuels contribute to energy security by increasing the diversity of supply choices and introducing a component of supply that is not necessarily import dependent” • An alternative to petroleum as liquid fuel for transport • Can add to energy diversity and reduce risks • Attractive as home-grown source of energy in some countries • Like oil, biofuels can be stored
Possible impact • Biofuels could make a potentially important contribution to future global energy supply mix • UK target is 5% of total transport fuel from renewable sources by 2013 • Energy security concerns must be integrated with other factors, e.g. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions