UTILISATION AND MANGEMENT OF WATER, COAL AND SUN AS SOURCES OF ENERGY

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

HEP is produced from the force of flowing water.

 Discuss the factors that influence the location of (H.E.P) schemes in Africa

Explain or suggest four physical factors that might have influenced the location of HEP

 Large/constant water supply

 Deep narrow valley/gorge
 Firm/strong/stable rock foundation/resistant rock/Impermeable rock/non-porous rock
 Steep gradient/slope/water fall/vertical descent
 Snow/ice free areas
 Sediment free areas
 Named market (city/industry)

Q: Suggest four reasons why it would be difficult to develop an HEP station in Botswana. [4]

 Low/little rainfall
 Unreliable rainfall
 Drought
 Shallow valleys/no gorges/no deep valleys
 Porous rocks
 Flat terrain/no steep slopes/no waterfall/ few dam sites
 Small market/little industrialization
 Internationally shared water sources/rivers
 Few perennial rivers/many seasonal rivers
 Expensive/cheaper to import

 Describe the process of generating electricity from water-HEP

 A lake is made by damming a river
 Water held in a reservoir/lake/dam flows through penstock
 The falling water spins/rotates the turbines (a wheel with many blades) which is connected to the
generator
 As the turbines spin they drive the generator which produces electricity/power

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Hydroelectric power station

Q: Study the figure, which shows a Hydro-Electric Power station and answer the questions that follow.

i. Write P,Q and R as a list and name the features of an HEP [3]
 P=reservoir/lake
 Q=Penstock
 R=turbines
 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of generating power from water resources
Advantages
 Water is a renewable resource
 HEP project is multi-purpose
 Clean/pollution free
 Low running costa/cheap to run
 More efficient/higher production capacity
 Hydroelectric power is easy to transport through the national grid
Disadvantages

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  Destruction of ecosystem/extinction of some animals and plants
 Silting/silt may accumulate behind the dam wall and fertile soils trapped affecting agriculture
 River/water flow may be disrupted by dam wall affecting areas down stream
 It leads to deforestation during clearance for the construction of the dam
 May lead to earth tremors due to huge volume of water
 It leads to displacement of people to give way for the development of the project
 Flooding can occur due to wall breaking/overflowing
 It can lead to spread of water borne diseases
 Competition for land/land for settlement taken up

Q: Describe the advantages of HEP over thermal power. [4]

 HEP project is multi-purpose
 Clean/pollution free
 Low running costa/cheap to run
 More efficient/higher production capacity
 Uses renewable resource

Q: Describe five environmental problems that may be created by large hydro-electric power stations. [5]

 Water pollution
 Flooding
 Deforestation
 Silting
 Species migration/destruction of animals habitat/loss of biodiversity
 Disturbs geological structures of an area
 Reduction in down stream

 Locate on a map of Africa any one of the following HEP schemes

 Owen falls (White Nile)-Uganda
 Aswan (Nile River)-Egypt
 Kariba dam (Zambezi River)- Zimbabwe/Zambia border
 Akosombo/Volta project (Volta River)-Ghana
 Hendrick Verwoerd (Orange River)-South Africa
 Caborabassa ()-Mozambique
 Xhana (Blue Nile)
 Tana-Kenya
 Kafue dam-Zambia
 Kolwezi-Zambia
 Koko (Awash River)-Ethiopia
 Edea (River Senega)-Cameroon
 Inga-Zaire
 Katse
 Kainji-Nigeria

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 Discuss factors influencing the location and development of the selected HEP scheme
 Named perennial river
 Deep narrow valley/gorge
 Firm/strong/stable rock foundation/Impermeable rock/non-porous rock
 Named market (city/industry)
 Steep gradient/slope/water fall/vertical descent
 Evaluate the importance of the HEP scheme to the economy of the country or countries in which it is
located.
 It is a source of employment/income
 It generates power reducing import bill/reduce dependence on other countries
 It leads to industrial development/Development of industries
 Earns foreign exchange
 Development of infrastructure such as roads
 It helps with water supply from the reservoir
 It can be used for fishing
 It can be a source of recreation/water sports
 It provides water transport/navigation
 It can contribute to acquisition of skills/training
 The water can be used for irrigation

COAL AS A SOURCE OF ENERGY/THERMAL POWER

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 This is power produced from the burning of coal-a fossil fuel. When coal is burnt it produces substantial amount of
heat that is why it used in generating electricity.

 Discuss the factors that influence the location and development of a thermal power station

Factors that should be considered when locating a thermal power station are as follows:

 Abundant coal supply

 Water supply for cooling
 Railway/road/navigable water way for easy transport
 Flat Large area of land
 Near large center of population/industry/market
 Labour supply

Q: What influenced the location of Mmamabula Power station? [1]

 Existence of abundant coal reserves

Q: Study the figure below, which shows three possible sites for the construction of a thermal power station.

i. Which site X, Y or Z is the most suitable for the location of the power station? [1]
 Site Y
ii. State three reasons why the site you chose in (i) is the most suitable. [3]
 Flat land/gentle slope
 Near water
 Near coal mine
 Away from populated areas

iii. Giving a different reason for each, state why you rejected the other two sites.[2]
 X is on highland/steep slope.
 Z is near a town/populated area and far from the mine

 Locate Morupule Power Station on a sketch map

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Q: Describe the importance of Morupule power station to the economy of Botswana. [4]

 Self-sufficiency in power
 Promotion of industries
 Source of employment/income
 Encourages infrastructural development
 Source of revenue
 Increases GNP
 Reduces reliance on imports
 Cheaper local power

Q: Explain how the power station will benefit the people of Botswana. [6]

 Development/improvement of infrastructure - to improve service delivery

 Training of locals - for new jobs/better jobs/acquire skills
 Employment creation - which improves the standard of living of people
 Attraction of other industries - to serve workers/people
 Diversification of economy - reduce reliance on agriculture alone
 Self-sufficiency/reduce dependence on imported electricity/electricity produced locally - availability
of electricity/cheap electricity

 Describe the process of generating power from coal in Morupule

How thermal power station produce electricity

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  Coal is burnt to heat water
 Water is heated to produce steam
 Steam spins/rotates the turbines that drives the generator
 Generator produces electricity

Study figure below which shows a coal powered/thermal power station

 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of generating power from coal

Advantages
The advantages of production of thermal power are:
 Many countries have rich coal reserves so it is one of ways of utilizing locally available resources
 It is an alternative source of energy to save the country’s forests
 It provides employment in mining and production of power
 It provides electricity to power part of the country/the country’s industries

Disadvantages
The disadvantages/problems associated with the production of thermal power are:
 Pollution/ not environmentally friendly as it produces methane which leads to global warming
 Coal is not renewable
 Low production capacity
 Expensive to maintain/high running costs
 Coal is dirty
 Difficult to dispose of waste
 Coal is bulky/large quantities are used
 Dangerous as it is explosive in nature

Q: Describe the impacts of Mmamabula project on the environment. [4]

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  Removal of trees/natural vegetation/loss of habitat/deforestation
 Change in the natural scape e.g. mine dumps, lights, town
 Infrastructural development
 Soil erosion
 Pollution
 Loss of animals/migration of animals

 Evaluate the role of stakeholders in the sustainable use of coal

 Government
o Makes laws and policy guidelines on use of coal resources
 NGOs
o Ensure that coal mining and burning is done without polluting the environment
 Private sector
o Adhere to the strict environment standards to reduce pollution
 Local authorities
o Land Boards allocate land and ensure that coal mining does not destroy the land
 Local communities
o Are involved in crucial decision making and benefit from the mining processes

SOLAR ENERGY

The sun is an important source of alternative energy in Botswana.

 Describe the process of generating power from the sun

 Solar panel with photovoltaic cells absorb heat from the sun/rays/light as it is exposed to sunlight
 Cells convert heat to electricity
 Electricity is stored in the battery

 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of generating power from the sun
Advantages

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  Clean/pollution free/environmentally friendly
 Low running costs/cheap to run or maintain and convenient
 Sun is renewable/infinite/perpetual source
 It provides an alternative source of power limiting the use of coal and firewood
 It is portable/flexible/can be installed anywhere/many locations
 Abundant sunshine/readily available/has long life with little degradation
 Supply electricity to areas remote from an electricity national grid system
 PV systems are reliable
 No fuel is required

Disadvantages
 Initial costs are very high/solar equipment are too expensive
 Botswana lacks the technology to fully connect solar energy.
 There is a degree of resistance by the people
 It is not efficient when there is no sunlight

 Discuss energy conservation strategies in Botswana

 switch off lights/geysers/appliances when not in use
 Increase tariffs
 prepaid meters
 Use of power saving devices e.g. low voltage bulbs/appliances
 Automatic switches/ using energy efficient appliances
 Education/public awareness
 Load shedding
 Using smaller heating plates for cookers
 Using defrost refrigerators
 Enclose fire places

Q: Worldwide energy consumption has been increasing over the years. Describe different ways in which energy
might be conserved. OR suggest five measures that could be used to save electricity. [5]

 Switch off lights/geysers when not in use

 Increase tariffs/prepaid meters
 Find/explore other sources of energy
 Use of power saving devices e.g. low voltage bulbs/appliances
 Automatic switches
 Education
 Load shedding
 Use of renewable sources/alternate sources

Q: Name two other types of energy used in Botswana, apart from solar energy. [2]

 Biogas/cow dung
 Firewood
 Wind
 Natural gas

Q: Only 3% of the rural households in Botswana use electricity compared to 24% of urban households.

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 i. Give four reasons for this uneven pattern of use. [4]
 High cost of installation and maintenance in urban areas
 Sparse population of rural areas
 Preference of other forms of energy in rural areas
 Small market/demand for electricity in rural areas
 Distance from power station/inaccessible/remoteness

Q: Study figure the figure below which shows world energy consumption by fuel type, 1970-2020

i. According to the figure above, which fuel type is the least used? [1]
 Nuclear

ii. Suggest one reason why fuel type you mentioned in (i) is the least used. [1]
 Occurs in very few places/expensive/difficult to develop
 Highly toxic/dangerous
 Not easy to dispose of the waste
 Restriction/law

Q: Explain why governments encourage the use of renewable energy? [4]

 Readily available/easy to get

 Sustainable/inexhaustible/infinite
 Pollution free/environmentally friendly
 Cheap to produce/low maintenance costs
 Abundant

iii. State three reasons for the rapid increase in oil consumption. [3]
 Increased industrial development
 Increased population
 Improved lifestyles/increased number of vehicle
 Technological advancement
 Increased mobility

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