What Problems are Associated with
the SUPPLY of Energy?
Economic
Many believe peak oil production has been reached.
Peak Oil: The way in which cities and gadgets shall be designed in the future shall
be directly affected by the availability of fuels and resources. Will technology be the
catalyst that allows us to deal with a resource shortage?
Source: http://spacecollaborative.com.au/2030%20Sydney/Research/Sustainability/peakOil.html
Economic
and belief in a
technological
solution?
Source: http://www.planetthoughts.org/?pg=pt/Whole&qid=2215
Economic
One major
problem with
energy is its
cost. Fossil fuels
are finite. With
increasing
demand and
diminishing
supplies prices
must increase.
Economic
Alternative
forms of
energy need
massive
investment in
research and
development,
and almost all
forms seem
expensive to
build.
The Cost of Renewable Energy.
The cost of naturally occurring renewable energy is a result of the cost of the
collection apparatus multiplied by the efficiency of the power plant. (The
mechanical power plant is a small fraction of the cost of the collection apparatus.)
Source:
https://matteranenergy.us/Joe%20Sixpack's%20Technology%20Page.html
Economic
Economic
Source:
http://climatechangeaction.
blogspot.com/2007/06/glo
bal-trends-in-sustainableenergy.html
These costs put a
strain on developed
and emerging
economies, and may
be beyond countries
with limited economic
development.
The report says investment capital flowing into renewable energy climbed
from $80 billion in 2005 to a record $100 billion in 2006. As well, the renewable
energy sector's growth "although still volatile ... is showing no sign of abating."
Economic
Source: http://climatechangeaction.blogspot.com/2007/06/global-trendsin-sustainable-energy.html
"The other key message is that this is no longer an industry solely dominated
by developed country industries. Close to 10 per cent of investments are in China
with around a fifth in total in the developing world. We will need many sustained
steps towards the de-carbonizing of the global economy. It is clear that in respect to
renewables those steps are getting underway."
Economic
Fuelwood
is still a
major
source of
heating
and
cooking
energy in
developing
countries.
Source: http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/solid-biomass-consumptionincluding-woodfuel
Environmental
Wood burning in confined domestic
spaces is one of the greatest sources of
ill health. Impaired lung capacity and
cancer from smoke particles often lead
to very low life expectancy.
Map showing distribution of people
depending on biomass fuels
Map showing distribution of
deaths from indoor smoke
from solid fuels
Source:
http://practicalaction.org/sm
oke/report_2
Environmental
Traditional forms of energy almost all depend
on fossil fuels and lead to carbon output. But
the global environment cannot withstand
current levels of carbon emission.
Source:
http://www.chinaen
vironmentallaw.co
m/wpcontent/uploads/20
09/02/worldcarbonemissions.gif
Environmental
Carbon capture
is in its infancy
and prohibitively
expensive.
March 2010
Tokyo will start
storing CO2
under the
seabed at the
rate of 100,000
tons per year.
No word on
final program
costs, but in
2009, ¥3.3
billion ($35
million) has
been allocated
to the project.
Source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/first-retrofit-carbon-capturestorage-project-begins-operations.php
Environmental
Almost all alternative measures have
environmental implications.
Cons of nuclear energy
* Requires larger capital cost because of
emergency, containment, radioactive
waste and storage systems
* Requires resolution of the long-term
high level waste storage issue in most
countries
* Potential nuclear proliferation issue
Source:
http://www.damonclifford.com/blog/2008/nuclearenergy-alternative-energy-option/
Political
Hardly any country is
self-sufficient in all the
forms of energy it
needs.
The inhabitants of the windswept
Danish island of Samso have
achieved a decade-long target of selfsufficiency
Source:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climat
e-change/the-little-island-and-its-big-greenvictory-1827638.html
Political
Most governments
worry about
depending on
sources from other
countries in case
political disputes
threaten supplies.
The fact that the UK
supply of gas from
the North Sea
peaked in 2001 and
is now falling rapidly
is well known.
R
I
S
K
?
The extraction rate once allowed the UK to be a leading exporter whilst also meeting
growing local demand, extraction rates are now falling such that the country became
a net importer in 2005 and some expect imports to account for 80% of gas supply as
soon as 2014/15 The UK uses approximately 103 billion cubic meters of gas per year
(bcm), more than any other country in Europe. Very roughly, by 2020 this
consumption is expected to increase to ~130 bcm whilst extraction falls to less than
20 bcm leaving over 100 bcm shortfall.
Political
Governments
need to harmonise
actions to limit
CO2 output, but
finding agreement
is not easy, and
implementing
policies can make
them unpopular
with their
electorates.
Source:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2
009/06/023896.php
Political
Political
Source:
http://img.mappio.com/learning-fundamentals/global-warming-skeptics-Large.jpg
Technological
There can be ways of
producing power to meet
future demands but most of
the technology needed has
yet to be developed.
Hydrogen car kits have
become increasingly in
demand recently with the sky
rocketing costs of gasoline
and the hopes of seeing
them decrease becoming
less and
less realistic each day.
Source:
http://www.hydrogencarkit.net/BuyHydrogenCarKit/
Technological
Only the most
developed
countries
have the
numbers of
educated
people, the
research
facilities and
the funding to
develop new
technologies.
Technological
The most
commercially
advanced WEC is
the Pelamis
attenuator,
developed by
Ocean
Power Delivery,
Ltd., based in
Edinburgh,
Scotland.The
device — a long,
tubular structure —
floats on the
surface of the
ocean and converts
incoming waves
from all directions
into electricity.
Ideas for the technological
solutions seem few at present, and
many are untested
http://www.cnsm.csulb.edu/departments/geology/peopl
e/bperry/geology303/geol303text.html
Technological
“Technological advances have made gas more readily available – it is far less
polluting than oil or coal and more reliable than renewable energy like wave or wind
power” - BP joins the dash for gas Sunday Telegraph Feb 28 2010
Shale gas is considered an unconventional source as the gas may be attached to
or "adsorbed" onto organic matter. The gas is contained in difficult-to-produce
reservoirs that require special completion, stimulation and/or production techniques
to achieve economic production.