Energy and World
Change: Past, Present and Future
Human beings have
always needed energy. From energy derived from burning wood for fires to the
energy that powers the computers we type on, energy has been changing.
We are coming to a
revolutionary point in our existence. Most of us are no longer ignorant,
intentional or otherwise to the dangers that come from our current energy
consumption habits. Countries like China are turning towards green energy
alternatives and Germany is already blazing a trail in renewable energy for the
world to follow. A future where our energy patterns are sustainable is within
our grasp! All the world needs to do now work towards it.
However, why are we
so slow in the widespread implementation of all of this? Let’s take a look at
some of the barriers to renewable energy.
Extra Reading:
Obstacles to
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency:
This article was
written for the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and was
written by Richard L. Kauffman, CEO of Good Energies. In this blog post, I’ll
be talking about the parts I find most interesting.
“The problem isn’t
energy.” In this section, attention is brought to the fact that most US
universities actually have the technology to create efficient renewable energy
systems. However, most of these technologies are seeing use in places such as
Europe. This is because renewable technology is seeing more promotion in Europe
than in the US
“We’ve got the
innovation deployment cart and horse backwards” Here, Kauffman states that most
of us are waiting for than one miraculous breakthrough where the innovation in
renewable energy makes it cost about as much or hopefully less than
conventional sources of energy. Such a breakthrough truly would be miraculous
but like most miracles, this may not happen anytime soon. In Europe, markets
and incentives had been established to bring in industrial players, namely
Siemens and General Electric to enter their wind energy markets with “good-enough”
technology. Eventually these companies were able to innovate and create larger
windmills at lower costs. Bring the technology in first and let innovation take
its natural costs seems to be the solution here.
The playing field is
not level. Among the notable barriers to entry for renewable energy is that it
is more expensive than conventional sources. This is reinforced by the fact
that some countries subsidise fossil fuels. If the externalities of fossil fuel
burning are internalized (such as using carbon taxes) perhaps a fairer playing
field would be established?
The last point I’ll
cover from his article is “We don’t have the infrastructure”. I would say that
this point tangoes with the “we’ve got the innovation and deployment cart and
horse backwards” quite well. Without an adequate infrastructure, a country
cannot utilize all of its geographical advantages. Areas with high wind speeds
can’t channel their energy to those who need it and the same can be said for
solar energy. If this isn’t in place than we can’t really implement policies to
incentivize using renewable energy.
Key Takeaway points
(from the lesson as well):
From what we can
gather from most of the barriers above, every country most understand what is
the main priority here. What is important is that countries around the world begin
implementing clean technology as soon as they can. Like most industry
beginnings, we have to start small. A market must be formed and nurtured. Once
players begin serving that market, innovation, including increased efficiency
and lower costs, would come naturally! Once the success and the low risk of
such an industry is established, many other positive developments would follow.
Comparative studies
are vital. In class, Prof showed us an interesting slide which compared the
returns of using 1 square (kilometre) of land for biomass, wind farming and
solar energy. Based on that study, solar energy trumped the other two in terms
of returns for every square (kilometre) of land. Studies like this help to
shape people’s perspectives and perceptions towards technology and can even
help lay people (like me) truly appreciate the technology for what it can give.
Based on some of my
readings, while gaining a sustainable source of energy is absolutely necessary,
attention should also be placed on the efficient use of energy in general. Many
studies have been conducted to show that energy inefficiency exists in many
forms. From the loss of energy from conversion of its raw state to electricity,
transmission and heating/ cooling and lighting the buildings, all these contribute
to wasted energy. We can’t really complain that some renewable energies can’t
provide enough for our consumption, we don’t really take steps to consume
energy efficiently.
Ratings for the
class:
Another consistent
class for this week. Informative and fast paced without a dull moment in sight.
9/10 from me.
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