In
today’s lesson, we talked about the current global energy crisis that is one of
the most urgent and real problem of today. Energy consumption rose over the
years due to the need for energy usage in many industries for economic
development and yet, the amount of available energy sources are depleting at a
rapid rate. With populations rising and new industries emerging, there is a
clear need for sustainability to cope with this rising demand for energy, as
well as the environmental impact that non-renewable energy usage imposes.
The
above, is a graph of energy usage (kg of oil equivalent per capita), referring
to the use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels. Just
look at the amount and rate where United States is consuming at! It far exceeds
that of China’s as well as to the world at large. China is currently using a
quarter of energy compared to US but China’s population is significantly more
than US and it is anticipated that China energy use will exceed that of US in
the future. In fact, China’s energy usage is already steadily increasing and as
we can see from the graph, it has already coincided with the energy usage of
the world. According to Prof. Shahi, this will lead to a “greenhouse hell”. How
then can countries like China achieve the same economic growth and well-being
but not damage the environment as extensive as the US?
It is therefore imperative that we shift from our
current unsustainable fossil fuel-based energy intensive economy to an
environmentally sound and sustainable, clean and green one. Energy efficiency is the key requisite to
meeting our future energy needs from sustainable sources. New habits, new technologies
and new ideas. We need to step away from the conventional usage of fossil fuels
in the industrialization days and revolutionize our approach towards energy
consumption, in a way which is efficient and environmentally friendly.
Brazil’s ProAlcool gasohol programme, is a good example. ProAlcool,
the national alcohol program in Brazil, started in the mid-1970s and was described
as the solution to the first oil crisis, where ethanol fuel is produced from
sugarcane production. Since then, the automobile industry has produced
alcohol-fuelled cars and after several technological developments, Brazil was
recognized as the world leader in the sustainable use of bioethanol, as well as
a policy model for other developing countries to follow.
Fortunately, due to environmental
concerns such as climate change and global warming, coupled with high oil
prices due to depleting resources, more countries are looking into renewable energies.
Although as compared to non-renewable energy sources, the share of global
energy consumption from renewable resources is still very low. Thankfully,
there are many bodies which are setting goals and executing plans in increasing
this percentage share, with the ultimate aim to achieve sustainability. For example,
the European Union sets a goal of obtaining 20% of energy from renewable
sources by 2020.
Personally, I find that the
reason why non-renewable energy sources are used more extensively than
renewable ones is because of cost. Research and development in the field of
renewable energy sources adds on to the cost, which then passes down to
consumers. There is a need for renewable energy sources to be price competitive
against non-renewable ones as from a practical point of view, companies seek to
maximise profits and reduce costs. Therefore, many prefer taking the easy way out, by disregarding the environmental repercussions and continue utilizing non-renewable energy sources instead. However, it ought to be noted that even
though on the surface level, non-renewable energy such as coal seems cheaper,
this is not exactly true as if we account the negative externalities of such
consumption, the true cost of these non-renewables is actually much, much
higher, as compared to most renewable energy sources which will be
significantly cheaper in the long run.
Prof. Shahi showed as figures and
graphs relating to energy consumption and the energy generated from certain
sources. I was surprised with the fact that the sun actually provides more
energy to the Earth in one hour than humankind currently uses in an entire
year! In fact, photovoltaics are able to generate more energy per km square of
land as compared to wind and biomass. The question now is, why then isn’t solar
energy more heavily utilized than wind and biomass? Why aren’t solar panels not
as extensively built and utilized comparatively? Perhaps the reason could be its
high initial capital outlay and cost, as well as the cost of maintenance.
Another point to note is the need for investment in clean energy. In 2009, China ranks first as the country to invest the heaviest in clean energy, followed by United States and United Kingdom. I believe such investment into the future is a wise step. Leaders of foresight are able to anticipate the pressing need to switch to renewable energy sources which are efficient and pollution reducing, to ease the future problem of overwhelming demand for energy given the rise in populations and growth in economy. More countries should follow the footsteps of China, US and UK etc., and invest more in clean energy and possibly in the near future, the strain on Earth would ease. However, this is uncertain as since environmental problems concerns one and all, the problem now is who should take up the responsibility? More often than not, this responsibility is being pushed around as it is not clear as to who should take up this onus.
Generally, I would rate this session a 8/10. I learnt more about energy which I didn't know about before.
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