Simulic
English

Energy mix planner – energy security, emissions and cost

GeographyGlobal Economy & DevelopmentAges 16–17

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Build a country's electricity mix from coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydropower, geothermal, tidal, solar, wind and biomass to meet demand. An hour-by-hour model of a whole year compares CO₂ emissions, cost, hours with enough supply, dependence on imported fuels, land use and the renewable share with the real 2023 mix of 12 countries and the world, while a world map shows the energy supply and self-sufficiency (surplus or deficit) of 21 countries in 2000, 2010 and 2023.

Lesson: Energy resources and energy security: renewable and non-renewable sources, national energy mixes, imports and self-sufficiency, sustainable energy choices

What it shows

A country's energy mix is the combination of sources it uses, and every choice has trade-offs. Fossil fuels are reliable but emit CO₂ and may have to be imported; nuclear power is low-carbon but costly to build; solar and wind power are cheap and clean but vary with the weather; hydropower and geothermal energy depend on geography. This simulation runs a simplified electricity system hour by hour for a whole year, so you can see how a mix performs on emissions, cost, reliability, energy security and land use, and compare it with real countries.

How to use

Choose a Country to load its approximate 2023 mix, then drag the source sliders. Press Scale to 100 % to make the total equal demand. Add Batteries or a Carbon price and pick the Week shown to see hourly supply and demand. Tap a country on the map, change the Map year or press Play years. Press Add to table to compare plans.

Parameters you can change

  • Country (starting mix) World, China, USA, India, Germany, France, Japan, Brazil, United Kingdom, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Iceland
  • Week shown on the chart Mid-January, Mid-April, Mid-July, Mid-October
  • Year on the map 2000, 2010, 2023
  • Battery storage (hours of average demand) 0–12 h
  • Carbon price 0–200 USD/t CO₂

Questions to explore

  1. Why do Japan and France depend so differently on imported fuel although both have few fossil fuel resources?
  2. How do the hours with enough electricity change when solar and wind supply more than half of demand, and how much do batteries help?
  3. Which plan for Germany cuts both CO₂ emissions and gas imports, and what does it cost in money and land?

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