Global Energy Crisis
The History of Global Energy
In a physics class, you learn that “energy” is the ability to do work. If we simply apply this definition, we find that energy has been a big, if not the biggest, deciding factor in the wealth and overall standard of living in a country. Whether in the form of electricity, labor, propulsion, heat or whatnot, the more energy obtainable the better. So certainly the more energy per cost the better. That is why, e.g., some argue that one reason the American economy became so strong was because of its utilization of slavery: free energy.
The issues that we are considering revolve around electrical energy, which is converted from some other form, most popularly, the form of fossil fuels. This form has an extreme concentration of energy, so it may come to no surprise that this plentiful and relatively cheap form is the most popular. Burning just one tablespoon of gasoline will provide the same energy as a brick traveling at 150 miles per hour! Such fossil fuels take millions of years, on geological timescales, to form, but since the industrial revolution, we’ve been thoughtlessly burning this attractive but limited energy source, until recently. Today we see how this source is limited, and we have, to some extent, been using other sources too.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Britain was the wealthiest and most powerful country. Not surprisingly, it had huge quantities of coal and made good use of the steam engine. Britain was economically unparalleled by every other country, due to not only its material resources, but also its extensive energy.
Coal Miners from England
http://www.scan.org.uk/education/coal/img/home_img.jpg
During the industrial revolution, coal was the most important fuel. At the turn of the century, when the automobile was becoming popular gasoline suddenly went into high demand. However now, with dwindling fossil fuel supplies, hybrid cars have come into demand, due to the recent increases in oil costs. Nuclear energy is the other major energy source now. In 1957, the first commercial nuclear plant began operating. Today, nuclear energy is widely used in developed countries, and is the source of 20% of the United States’ electrical energy.
But the dwindling of fossil fuels is where our problem here emerges. Recently, we all know about the great rises in the cost per barrel of oil, but I would like to mention two significant events, that both occurred in the 1970s.
The first was in 1973, during the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced that it would be no longer exporting to countries in support of Israel, including, of course, the United States and Western Europe. This is called an oil shock, when the supply goes down suddenly and the price jumps. A similar event would take place again in 1979, due to a disruption in Iranian exports, because of the Iranian Revolution.
Recently, we have been hearing about nearly all U.S. interest in the Middle East revolving around the oil there. People will have different opinions on this because of political views, but in this day and age, it certainly cannot be ignored how reliant most of the world is on Middle-Eastern oil.
The Present Day Energy Crisis and Oil Peak
Energy is the hot topic in today’s technological world. We constantly hear words like, “Energy crisis,” and “alternative forms of energy” and all of this chatter is for one thing: the need to supply energy. It is almost inarguable that there is a controversy revolving around energy, some may say that we’re doing fine, and some will say that we need to change our methods of obtaining energy. Accusations are being thrown at oil companies for being too greedy, and not revealing to the public the extent of the “crisis.” Oil is one of the most talked about issues nowadays. Oil is mainly used for transportation purposes, heating, and producing plastics and synthetic fibers. Some experts warn that we have reached an “Oil Peak” which is the point where the population of the world is consuming more oil then its inhabitants can find. Other experts disagree and say we won’t for another decade, and even other experts declare that we won’t reach the Oil Peak for another couple decades. The problem occurs when people become to busy arguing about when this issue will happen and aren’t spending time and resources into forms of energy that will last for hundreds of years. The involvement of the United States in the Middle East is often criticized as a bid for oil, but no officials have made this an official declaration.
http://www.jakeg.co.uk/dissertation/peak_oil.gif
Another ‘energy’ issue is the electric supply issue. Most companies provide electricity through a couple of means, usually hydroelectric, and nuclear. There have been great technological breakthroughs to attempt and avoid using nuclear power, but it is an uphill battle. Even after incidents like Three-Mile-Island and Chernobyl, some countries are hesitant to change out the nuclear power plants that have been recently constructed in the past 50 years. Sweden is a country that is aiming to rid itself completely of nuclear power in the next 10 years, and Italy has already accomplished that. The issue is that Italy is investing in other European countries for them to produce their nuclear power. Italy is merely saving its own people from the hazards and is pressuring other countries to supply even more electricity. Some countries such as Iran and North Korea wish to actually have nuclear power because they believe it is the most effective way to bring their countries up to par with the many other powers.
Radical Changes Can be Made
The ideal solution to all of this is to provide the current eco-friendly forms of energy production to everyday living. There are many forms of alternative energy that aren’t quite as cost effective, but are much safer and are renewable, so they pay off in the long run. Some energy activists have advised for a “Soft Energy” path, which doesn’t for large nuclear plants, or dams. Instead the “Soft Energy” path is designed to be a diverse way of providing power to everyone. This way one form of energy cannot fail and reduce a part of a country to its knees. In the ideal world we would be able to rapidly convert the world from “Hard Energy” users to “Soft Energy” users, by giving massive government benefits to “Energy Farmers.” These Energy Farmers could utilize wind, solar, water, fuel cell, and even biomass (breaking down organic matter to produce a natural gas.) These energy farmers could sell their energy to the Electric Company for their region/county/city, and in case something happens, like a terribly cloudy day, one can still get their energy from the other forms of energy. The other great thing would be to solar panel every inch of the skyscrapers in cities. This way, the skyscrapers can help produce energy for themselves, so they aren’t drawing as much from energy farmers. This radical path would help solve the many hazards and issues concerning both nuclear power and oil.
A Windfarm off the coast of Denmark
http://www.power-technology.com/projects/middelgrunden/images/Figure_F.jpg
The Needed Changes
In the real world, this sort of massive change into a new form of obtaining energy will not happen anytime soon. Energy so far is an issue on levels that avoid allowing independent corporations or ‘farmers’ to produce massive amounts of energy. Instead countries invest money into corporations to put up wind farms, but then the issue of where can these alternative energy sources like windmills and solar panels go? Each independent nation is focused on how to fix its own problems it fails to see the global picture in 300 years. One of the untapped areas for “green energy” is Africa. This still developing continent could be the world’s next energy exporter. These countries have the perfect locations for solar panels, hydroelectric, and probably wind generation in some areas. Hopefully one of the world powers won’t try to take advantage of Africa to get what it wants, and instead Africa as a continental body can work out its differences to possibly supply Europe with massive amounts of clean, hazard free energy. The energy issue is a monstrosity that many nations are simply ignoring, while others are taking huge steps to fix the problems. The advancements of nano-technology will be able to help make alternative forms of energy more viable, but until then we as individuals can stop consuming so much energy. Turn off the TV before you go to sleep, get solar heating for your hot water, and no one has to stay up until 3:00 with the lights on. Imagine how much energy that could be saved from just going to sleep a little earlier.
Sources:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/
http://www.energy.gov/
http://www.opec.org/home/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_energy_path
Energy Alternatives, by the Opposing Viewpoints series
Renewable Energy, by Daniel Deudney & Christopher Flavin