Week 9: Session 8

Our theme this week was: Energy and World Change: Past, Present, Future

There is quite clearly a need for us to switch to renewable sources of energy, for a more sustainable and greener world; moreover non-renewable sources of energy like coal, oil, and natural gas, will eventually get exhausted. 

Countries like the Unites States and Singapore consume more energy per capita than most other countries in the world. If all the developing countries were to use as much energy as the U.S. and Singapore, our resources would be exhausted very soon (within 9 years); this is rather shocking and strongly emphasises the need to transit to renewable sources of energy.

We watched a video by the WWF which suggested some methods by which we can make more efficient use of energy: such as using public transport, biking, or walking, instead of every single person using their automobiles. Houses and factories can make use of solar power and other renewable sources of energy, reducing dependence on non-renewable sources, thereby reducing pollution. 

In terms of research and development for new and clean energy technologies, China is one of the highest investors, followed by the U.S., U.K., Spain, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Italy, and India. Germany has made great progress in the promotion of solar energy, thanks to Hermann Scheer.

Hermann Scheer (1944 –  2010) was the President of Eurosolar (The European Association for Renewable Energy) and General Chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy. In 1999, Scheer was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for his "indefatigable work for the promotion of solar energy worldwide" (Wikipedia, 2013).

Hermann Scheer recognized the importance of shifting from fossil fuels and nuclear energy to renewable sources, and played a big role in Germany’s transition to solar energy.  The system that was implemented in Germany was very effective, as the government offered cash incentives to those who took the initiative to set up solar panels. People who set up solar panels got paid to sell their energy to the energy grid. Moreover a fixed price for 20 years guaranteed profits and encouraged people to invest in solar panels. From this, we see that an effective way to get people involved in the promotion of cleaner energy sources is to provide incentives.

I found the concept of tradable and non-tradable energy sources very interesting. Energy consumption has progressively increased as societies have developed over time. Oil, natural gas, and coal consumption have been increasing at a very high rate, whereas nuclear energy and hydro-electricity consumption have been increasing at a slower rate. These sources of energy can be traded across national boundaries and are known as tradable energy sources. 

This is similar to the ‘Carbon Credit’ system, which uses market forces to try and control the use of energy. I think this is a good way to ensure that various corporations reduce their consumption of energy, or make their consumption more efficient. The fact that they can sell carbon credits to other organizations might motivate them to ensure efficiency in their energy consumption, so as to make money from the sale of their remaining carbon credits.

Another interesting fact is that until about 150 years ago, we made 100% use of renewable sources of energy. However, with the discovery of non-renewable sources  like coal and other fossil fuels, we started using less renewable, and more non-renewable sources.  Although this was advantageous in terms of reducing deforestation (for firewood), and ending slavery (with the use of engines and machines run by these non-renewable sources), it undoubtedly contributed to an increase in pollution and emission of greenhouse gases, that we still face today.

Keeping in mind the amount of energy that the Earth’s surface receives from the sun in a given year, the fact that we are not making full use of this untapped energy is shocking. If something is done about this, we would be able to meet our energy requirements in a very efficient way. For example: we could make use of photovoltaic technology on buildings to trap solar energy and convert it to electricity.

Solar energy is definitely a feasible and viable source of energy. Though solar panels are expensive at present, if they are mass produced, the price will eventually go down. New technologies are being developed that will make solar power very efficient. 

In conclusion, it is important for us to transit from non-renewable to renewable sources of energy, in order to become healthier and wealthier, rather than to continue to live in dirty and polluted environments. It is time for us to come up with new technologies and approaches to conserve energy and use it more efficiently, to prevent or reduce pollution, thereby promoting sustainability.

I rate the session an 8 out of 10.

References:
Wikipedia. (2013). Hermann Scheer. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Scheer