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World Energy
Use Set to Increase
by 50% over the next 25 years!
World energy consumption increased from 285
quads in 1980 to 404 quads in 2001. Note: One quad is one quadrillion
British Thermal Units (BTUs). One quad is the amount of energy contained in a
flow of 476,000 barrels of oil each day for one year.
Between 1980 to 2001, global energy use
increased by about 1.7% per annum. Experts are warning that, on the basis of
strong growth in key Asian economies like China and India, we can expect global
energy use to increase by 50% in the next 25 years!
As illustrated below, we rely almost totally on
burning carbon-based fuels like Oil, Coal and Natural Gas to provide our energy.
Use of these energy sources continues to rise despite the great danger they
present to the global climate via increasing carbon emissions and the Greenhouse
Effect.
We cannot continue to rely on burning fossil
fuels - the problem for human society is that we cannot continue to burn
ever increasing amounts of fossil fuels to provide the energy we need due to
increasing concentrations of carbon based emissions in the atmosphere adding to
the Greenhouse Effect and a Changing Climate.
The 21st Century Solar Challenge -
Humans currently use less than 0.2% of the Sun's energy that strikes the Earth's
surface every day. The challenge for the 21st Century will be to harness that
massive energy source and other key non-polluting, renewable energy sources like
wind, geothermal and wave energy.
The Energy Options for the 21st Century
Where will this extra energy come from?
Debate is raging in energy circles as to how we are to meet these huge increases
in demand for energy. As illustrated below. Coal is the world's most abundant
fossil fuel resource with an estimated 200 years worth of supply yet to be
mined, followed by gas (60 years supply remaining) and oil (20-30 years supply
remaining).
Coal
- while Coal supply in the medium and long term is assured, burning coal is a
major source of the world's greenhouse emissions.
The future prospects for delivery and use of
coal will largely depend on technological advances (cleaner use of coal and
carbon sequestration) and the impact of deregulation of electricity markets,
policies to reduce greenhouse gases.
Coal could contribute in a more sustainable way
to satisfying demand for energy from the two billion people in the world who
today still depend on traditional fuels like firewood.
Oil - the outlook for Oil is even less
optimistic than that for Coal for the
following reasons:
- proved recoverable reserves of oil, which
are largely concentrated in the Middle East, declined, while those of gas,
which are more evenly spread, increased;
- fewer giant fields were discovered in the
1990's than in the 1960's (albeit a larger proportion were in deeper
offshore waters);
- the discoveries of new oil fields were
concentrated in a smaller number of countries in the 1990's than in the
earlier periods;
- more recently the additional discoveries
have been less than the oil produced;
- the oil industry's technological challenges
posed by the ultra-deep offshore have not yet been met satisfactorily
- increasing incidence of major conflicts in
regions with large oil reserves (e.g. Iraq).
Natural
Gas - the prospect for Natural gas, on the other hand, confidently appears
as a cleaner fossil fuel set to play a greater role in satisfying increasing
energy demand. However, addressing the issue of air quality has become a
priority for the natural gas industry. Advanced technologies could help expand
the frontiers of both natural gas demand and supply and help address some of the
major environmental issues arising from its use. The challenges facing the gas
industry today include a further reduction of emissions, higher efficiencies in
production and consumption and the expansion of appropriate infrastructure,
including cheaper and more advanced technologies for liquefied natural gas
(LNG). The transfer of technology from developed to developing countries will
also be essential.
 Nuclear
Power - whilst large reserves of Uranium exist to provide the prospect of
Nuclear Power becoming a more important element in the world's supply of energy,
the dangers of its use and the threat posed by terrorists gaining access to
nuclear waste for nuclear bombs or "dirty bombs" mean that the Nuclear
is unlikely to become a major option for meeting our growing need for
power.
Hydropower
- Hydropower accounts for 19% of the world electricity supply, utilising one
third of its economically exploitable potential. Hydro projects have the
advantage of avoiding emissions of greenhouse gases, SO2 and particulates. Their
social impacts, such as land transformation, displacement of people, and impacts
on fauna, flora, sedimentation and water quality can often be mitigated by
taking appropriate steps early in the planning process. Whilst a question
remains over the advantage of smaller hydro schemes over larger ones (owing to
the former's greater total reservoir area requirement), it is believed that
generally hydro power is competitive, when all factors are taken into account.
Woodfuels - Woodfuels continue to be
used traditionally in rural areas of developing countries where they remain a
burden for women and children to collect and, owing to their incomplete and
inefficient combustion, also hazardous to health. Whilst rising income levels
and urbanisation in developing countries have resulted in a reduced share of
woodfuels in their overall energy use, changes in energy and environmental
policies, such as global warming mitigation, in developed countries have led to
an increased use of woodfuels, often as modern biomass.
Solar
Power - the potential for solar power is enormous and could result in solar
and other renewable resources contributing up to 50% of world energy use by
2050. However, this would require sweeping changes in the energy infrastructure,
a new approach to the environment and the way that energy is generated and
used.
Currently, solar power only accounts for about
1% of the world's total energy supply or 3,145 Megawatts of solar power
production worldwide. Whilst it is growing strongly, a new generation of
solar-energy pioneers has to be nurtured and this will require substantial
greater governmental support to help realise the tremendous opportunity that
solar power offers.
Wind
Power - there has been a steady growth in the size and output of Wind
turbines, now available with capacities of up to 3 MW for offshore machines. The
support provided by national governments influences development patterns: for
example, wind farms in the USA and the United Kingdom and single machines (or
clusters of two or three) in Denmark and Germany.
Environmental issues surrounding wind energy
pertain to noise, television and radio interference, danger to birds, and visual
effects, but in many cases, sensitive siting can solve these problems. Many
utility studies have indicated that wind can be readily absorbed in an
integrated power network until its share reaches 20% of maximum demand. It is
expected that due to the rapid capacity growth in many countries and regions,
global installed wind capacity may reach 150 GW by 2010, depending on political
support, both nationally and internationally, and further improvements in
performance and costs.
Renewable, Clean and Green Power is available
to most Australian households via their existing energy retailer - we urge
readers to contact their energy supplier and request that they be be supplied
with Green Power.
If you are in NSW, then we invite you to
become a customer of Jackgreen and get 100% green electricity! (See offer below)
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