Energy: Developing a Sustainable Future - Essay Example

Energy: Developing a Sustainable Future The last centurys reliance on fossil fuels has left the world facing global warming, geo-political crisis around the world, and a dwindling supply of a finite resource. The large developing industrialized societies in China and India have accelerated the problem and have dictated that a changeover from crude oil happens sooner rather than later. There is little debate on the issue of whether the world needs to move towards more sustainable or renewable sources of energy. The debate surrounds the types of fuels that will be used in the future, the cost of their development, and the plan for adoption of new technologies. Many of these technologies and sources of energy have already experienced a significant amount of research and acceptance. The migration from fossil fuels will involve multiple sources, local generation, and a variety of new technologies to power the world into the 21st century. The energy crisis is not a national problem, but is a challenge facing every nation in the world. While eighty percent of the worlds energy needs comes from fossil based fuels, the technologies to sustain the current level of use, reduce the CO2 emissions, and develop cleaner coal are still in their infancy and may eventually prove to be impractical (Evans 2007, p.6). In addition, the existence of large concentrated oil supplies has created an unstable political situation that keeps the worlds supply of energy at risk. Nuclear generated electricity has received some renewed interest in recent years based on improved safety records, but the problem of the safe disposal of nuclear waste is yet to be solved. Our current transportation systems may require substantial modification to run on the fuels of the future. The challenge that faces the world is to move away from the current uses of oil and utilize locally generated energy based on local renewable resources. Solar energy is at the top of the list as an abundant source of sustainable energy. It is available almost everywhere in the world and can be harvested on a local level. Solar power can be used in its direct form as heat and light as well as easily converted to electricity through the use of photovoltaic cells. Solar energy requires relatively little advanced technology or engineering to harness its benefits. Though solar energy is widely distributed throughout the world, it is a low density energy and requires the collection of the suns rays over a large area to be efficient (Evans 2007, p.82). This makes the large scale production and centralized distribution of solar electricity almost impractical. However, on a local level, such as an individual house, solar power can contribute to heating, lighting, and electrical power. New breakthroughs in photovoltaic technology have raised hopes that the current efficiency of 15 percent could be raised to as high as 93 percent (Green 2003 , p.1) This translates to smaller cells and collectors and a reduced cost of production. Large scale solar farms are still in the research and development stage, but ultimately solar may provide a significant portion of the global energy needs. Wind energy is another natural resource that is abundant, widely distributed, and inexpensive. Wind has been harnessed for energy for centuries and has recently seen a renewed interest in its application. In the United States wind power ranks second behind hydro-electric power as a source of electricity, and Denmark produces 20 percent of their electricity through wind power (Evans 2007, p.94). However, wind suffers some of the same drawbacks that impact solar energy. Though it is widely distributed, it is not evenly distributed. Some areas may be able to better utilize wind as a resource. In addition, it has the drawback of being inconsistent. Improved turbine designs and electric storage systems have made wind power more efficient, but it only contributes less than 0.5 percent of the total global energy demand (Evans 2007, p.95). Improved local wind generators and efficient battery storage systems may eventually be able to raise the worldwide total output. One of the worlds oldest renewable fuel, biomass, is also one that has been receiving greater public attention. The conversion of grains, such as corn, into ethanol holds some promise of the move away from fossil fuels. Biomass technology can potentially convert sugar cane, grasses, grains, and a wide range of organic material to the petroleum substitute ethanol. However, using the agricultural areas to produce biomass for fuel will result in higher food and commodity prices around the world. In addition, the production of ethanol is energy intensive. A study by Pimentel and Patzek in 2005 reported that the ethanol energy output was significantly less than the fossil fuel input required for production (cited in Evans 2007, p.103). This negative effect can be overcome by converting existing equipment to run on bio-oil, a diesel product. By using the intermediate bio-mass oil product, it becomes more economically practical to store, transport, and use the bio-mass product (Brammer, Lauer, & Bridgwater 2006, p.2871). Biomass also suffers from the fact that most of the production would take place in agricultural rich areas and may become as politically concentrated as the current petroleum situation. However, the ability to make a clean burning fuel from renewable sources that requires very little change in the current transportation systems assures that it will continue to receive a great amount of public attention. Some of the greatest sources of untapped energy come from the inherent energy contained in the earth. Ocean wave technology and geothermal energy are forces that reside on the planet and only need to be harnessed to be useful. The energy potential is massive and Evans (2007, p.108) reports that as much as 90 kilowatts of energy could be extracted from one meter of ocean wave energy. Typically, the movement of the ocean and the waves are used to rotate turbines which generate electricity. One of the greatest challenges presented to ocean wave technology is the physical size of the construction. It must be done at sea, underwater, and be able to withstand the continued force of the ocean as well as occasional storms (Evans 2007, p.109). Geothermal energy extracts the heat from the earth and uses it directly as heat or is converted to electricity. Geothermal energy is unevenly accessible around the world and the United States produces less than 0.5 percent of their electricity from it, while the Philippines produces over 22 percent of their electrical needs (Evans 2007, p.111). As with ocean wave technology, harnessing geothermal energy can be expensive to do efficiently when the energy is not readily available as surface steam (Evans, 2007, p.112). Both of these sources of energy are sustainable and are available on a massive and widely distributed area. Two alternatives to fossil fuels that are currently in use are nuclear and hydrogen. There has been a lot of optimism expressed in the resurgence of nuclear powers acceptance as a safe source of energy. Recent developments in safety technology and Frances long standing safety record have brought about some reason for hope. Recent advances in nuclear power plant design make it possible to generate all the worlds electricity from nuclear. However, the industry is impacted by a long held negative public perception on the disposal of the waste products and the potential for contamination. Innovative methods of handling the nuclear waste and cleaning up inadvertent spills have been proposed including plants that remove the radioactivity from contaminated soil (Adler 1996, p.42). Hydrogen, an abundant element, has also received greater attention in the media as a source of clean and abundant energy. However, it is also negatively impacted by the strict requirements for the safe handling, transportation, and ditribution of hydrogen. Hydrogen has a great potential for explosion and the requirements for the safe production and storage are engineering intense to maintain safety. This adds greatly to the cost of the product as well as instills some trepidation on the part of public acceptance. There is a good possibility that these two sources could account for all the worlds needs if the challenges of safety and public acceptance can be overcome. Sustainable energy could become more of a reality by the implementation of conservation. A small solar electrical generator becomes more practical if the output requirements are lowered. Superconductors may hold the key to make alternative, sustainable, and renewable energy possible. Superconductors are materials that are able to transport electricity with no loss of power (Fundamentals of Superconductors 1996). Large amounts of power that is generated in power plants is lost in the lines during transmission. If this loss could be eliminated it could facilitate the construction of smaller generating plants that are fueled by renewable sources. In addition, all our electrical appliances would become far more efficient and require less power. Currently, superconductor technology is only operable at very low temperatures. New discoveries are breaking the way for the discovery of a super conducting material that operates at ambient temperatures. In conclusion, the challenge of reducing the use of fossil based fuels will be met from several different directions. The future of energy consumption will be a mix of energies that are produced based on locally available resources. This will require decentralization of the electrical system and place distribution at the local level. Electric power for automobiles may be generated through solar, wind, or new ocean wave technology. Homes may be designed to be energy self sufficient depending on the location and the resources that are available in the geographic area. The abundance of nuclear and hydrogen fuels hold much promise if the challenges of safety can be met and the public can accept the technology. Energy savings realized by the use of superconductors could make the small percentage of power currently generated by sustainable sources more meaningful. As we move into the 21st century, we can be sure that fossil fuels will continue to have less impact on our economy and our environment. References Adler, T 1996, Botanical cleanup crews, Science News, vol. 150, no.3, pp. 42-45. Brammer JG, Lauer M, & Bridgwater AV 2006, Opportunities for biomass-derived ‘‘bio-oil’’ in European heat and power markets, Energy Policy, vol.34, pp.2871-2880. Evans, R 2007, Fueling our future: An introduction to sustainable energy, Cambridge University Press, New York Fundamentals of Superconductors 1996, Oakridge National Laboratories, viewed 14 March 2008, Green, M 2003, Third generation photovoltaics: Advanced solar energy conversion, Springer-Verlag, New York Read More