Energy Security

Strategies for energy security

The four aspects that are important to energy security are availability, accessibility, affordability, and reliability. These feed into the strategies to try to achieve energy security. Here are examples of those strategies:

Using the country's own resources to try to secure self-sufficiency

Norway is 96% self-reliant when it comes to energy. This means that it can meet most of the energy demands of its population by exploiting its offshore oil and gas fields and using hydroelectric power. It even has surplus energy, which it exports to other countries such as the UK through an undersea gas pipeline.

Fig. 1 - The share of electricity production from renewables shows that Norway has used renewables heavily since 1985

Having reliable and consistent energy supplier nations to supplement the country's own energy sources

USA and Canada have the largest integrated energy network in the world. Both co-supply each other with electricity in different regions. Canada is the net exporter of oil and gas to the USA whilst being the net importer of coal from the USA.

Importing energy from a wide range of suppliers

This is to stop being too dependent on one resource and to be able to switch to an alternative resource if there are any political, pricing, or supply factors. Japan has more than five countries that supply it with liquid natural gas, for example.

Switching supplies to be less dependent on imports

The USA has drastically reduced oil and gas imports from the Middle East and South America by exploiting its own deep onshore shale gas through a process of hydraulic fracturing.

Reducing the domestic demand for energy

Some ways to reduce the need to rely on other countries for energy are granting subsidies for solar panels in houses and businesses, encouraging cycling instead of driving, or insulating houses in a more efficient manner.

Fig. 2 - Having energy security is essential if a country is to be self-sufficient

Energy security and the carbon cycle