I hope you enjoyed
your journey through some of the aspects of energising the future!
Hopefully, I
succeeded in stimulating your general curiosity for alternative energy
technologies and that you are now appreciating how technological developments
are creating innovative ways of energizing the future.
I certainty had a
great time writing this blog and have learnt a tremendous number of things from
it! Thank you all!
As this blog has
shown, the energy issue is multi-faceted. There are so many questions
regarding: climate change, the 2°C global warming target, the technological,
economic and social aspects too!
No wonder it's so
difficult to come to some consensus as to what energy technology should power
the world's future.
Thus, I would like
to conclude that there is no silver-bullet approach to our energy
futures.
Fossil fuels are currently dominating the
energy mix. However, there are concerns about the release greenhouse gases (CO2, NOx etc.), which are driving anthropogenic
climate change and likewise, causing air pollution too! NOT GOOD I SAY!
The trouble is, if
it's plentiful and economic to obtain, the energy resource will be favoured. It
is that simple.
Seriously, the high levels of energy
(fossil-fuel) consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are simply
unsustainable!
The key questions:
1. How can we begin to move away from
fossil fuel dependency?
2. Given the complex set of needs,
technologies and choices, how do we prepare for the future (Energy Technologies Institute, 2014)?
How should we approach the FUTURE?
In my opinion, it
looks like solar power could be the future, especially for rapidly developing
countries. Its flexibility and versatile nature, make the technology applicable
for industrial, transportation and domestic purposes. I really like the idea of
the hydrogen fuel cell and artificial leaf, but I think more work should be
done to make these available commercially and ensure
economic competitiveness.
In terms of
providing immerse energy, nuclear power looks promising too. We are still
a way off nuclear fusion, but once the technology reaches the roll-out phase,
it could become a good solution for our energy needs. In the meantime, for
areas such as the UK, more focus should be geared towards tidal/wave
power.
All technologies
have their advantages and disadvantages! We could go on forever debating, but I
think there is a limit to how far we can ponder about our energy future. We
need to act now, but obviously in the context of a particular area. A
combination of the energy mix that is suitable for one country, may not be
applicable elsewhere! Therefore, it is important to focus on a
country-by-country basis.
We need to change
how things work, how we approach problems and think of new ways to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and explore our options. Of course, it’s not as easy
as it sounds. Maybe humans could develop a new energy source??? Who
knows???
It is apparent that
the shared pursuit for finding solutions to climate change is pushing
engagement at multiple scales amongst businesses, governments, university
researchers and the public.
Increasing supply (energy production) is not in itself adequate, consumption practices must also be addressed as well. You see? It’s a two-way process.
I am not claiming
that a 100% renewable energy mix is impossible, but given current
infrastructures, this seems less likely. Instead let’s head the right direction
and at least reduce the fossil fuel proportion of the energy mix significantly
and mix-it-up some more!!
What is your vision
of the energy future?
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Thank you all and
see you next time! :)
