Sustainable Energy Contrast
Can a country keep the lights on without wrecking the planet? Compare how a developed and a developing country manage energy sustainably, weighing renewables against fossil fuels on cost, reliability, environment and energy security.
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Keeping the lights on ⚡
Every country needs energy - but where it comes from matters. Burning fossil fuels is reliable but finite and warms the planet; renewables are clean but bring their own challenges. This module is about **sustainable energy management**, and especially the **contrast** between how a richer, developed country and a poorer, developing country try to achieve it.
The words you need 🔑
Four terms run through the whole topic.
Match each renewable source to how it works 🔗
- Solar
- Wind
- Hydroelectric power
- Geothermal
- Converts energy from sunlight
- Turbines are turned by moving air
- Falling or flowing water turns turbines
- Uses heat from hot underground rocks
What does sustainable mean here? 🌍
What does sustainable energy management mean?
- Meeting today's energy needs without stopping future generations meeting theirs
- Using up all the cheapest fuels as quickly as possible
- Relying only on imported oil and gas
- Ignoring the environment to keep energy cheap
Every choice is a trade-off ⚖️
Renewable sources such as wind and solar will not run out and give off little carbon - but they can be **intermittent** (no power on a still, dark day) and cost a lot to build. Non-renewable sources such as coal, oil and gas are **reliable** and well established - but they are finite and release carbon dioxide that drives climate change. There is no perfect source; every energy choice trades one advantage against another.
Which are renewable? ✅
Select the TWO renewable energy sources.
- Wind
- Solar
- Coal
- Natural gas
Two very different starting points 🏭
Sustainable energy looks different depending on a country's wealth. Compare a developed country with a developing or emerging one.
Match each country to its real strategy 🗺️
- Germany
- Kenya
- United Kingdom
- Iceland
- Expanding wind and solar and phasing out coal, its Energiewende
- Generates much of its electricity from geothermal in the Rift Valley
- Built large offshore wind farms and closed its coal power stations
- Runs on hydroelectric and geothermal for nearly all its electricity
Why go home-grown? 🔒
Why might a country develop its own renewable energy to improve its energy security?
- It reduces reliance on imported fossil fuels that could be cut off or rise in price
- It guarantees that energy will always be completely free
- It means the country never has to build anything
- It removes the need to plan energy for the future
Build a sustainable supply 🪜
An interactive activity.
The sustainability story 🧩
Sustainable energy management means meeting needs today without harming the _____. _____ sources such as wind and solar will not run out, unlike _____ fossil fuels. Improving energy _____ cuts waste, and using home-grown power improves a country's energy _____.
Make the energy call 🎬
An interactive activity.
Your turn: contrast two countries ✍️
An interactive activity.
The grade-9 habit 🌟
The marks come from **judgement**, not lists. Weigh renewable against non-renewable on the real trade-offs - **cost, reliability, environmental impact and energy security**. Then anchor it in a **named developed country and a named developing country**, and show that their challenges differ: a developed country wrestles with **very high consumption**, while a developing country faces **funding limits and fast-rising demand**. Contrast, evidence, judgement - top band.