Case Study → Access to and Consumption of Energy, USA and France (Edexcel A-Level Geography): Revision Notes

Case Study → Access to and Consumption of Energy, USA and France

Context	• The USA & France are two of the top 10 energy consuming countries • But the total consumption in France is seen to be only 1/10 of that of the USA ↳ This big difference is mainly due to the differences in population: 331.2 mil vs 65.2 mil • Climate is another contributory factor • The higher US consumption reflects the fact that quite large areas of the country experience extremes in heat and cold • Counteracting such extremes requires large inputs of energy into heating & lighting/AC
USA Energy Mix	● Carbon fuels produce 82% of the energy consumed in the USA ● Only 11% comes from renewables ● 8% from renewables
French Energy Mix	● 50% of energy comes from fossil fuels ● 10% from renewables ● Approx 40% from nuclear ○ France = a major player in nuclear power (50 nuclear reactors in operation currently)

| Dependency | ● High for France • 46%
• Reflects the fact natural gas & oil are imported, plus the Uranium needed for
its large number of nuclear power stations
● USA • 15% of its primary energy ∴ the USA is more energy secure
|