Demand and Supply
As stated previously, the highest growth of energy demand will come from the two countries – China and India. This demand growth is due to fast-growing populations (already the world’s 2 most populous nations) and the shift of their economies to free market-oriented policies. Their high economic growth rates are in part due to privatization policies and the regulatory reforms they recently implemented. This has fueled high domestic consumption which in turn necessitates a higher energy supply. But their “energy intensity” ratio is very high compared with more developed nations. This means high energy consumptions to produce a unit of GDP.
The site below gives energy consumption on a per capita basis per country or region. The World Resources Institute (WRI) also gives other data related to the environment, such as population growth rates, biodiversity, water resources (especially freshwater), and agriculture & forestry. It is an environmental “think-tank” or research center and gives practical ways to protect Mother Earth and somehow still improve people’s lives. Its mission is to spread the gospel that healthy economies and healthy environments can co-exist and are not mutually exclusive. WRI is non-profit dedicated to policy research with regards to global resources and environmental issues. It was funded by a US$15 million grant for its first few years and has since accepted donations from private and public sources to continue its work and advocacy. One of its influential research is the “Earth Trends” series of policy papers that promotes its objectives. Many countries are now convinced that climate change and global warming are real events. Before, they think these two issues were just the creations of activist organizations without any supporting scientific data. But numerous scientific and academic studies have proved otherwise. Climate change is real and accelerating but fortunately is also reversible.
Alternative energy sources
As the price of oil keeps rising, alternative energy sources become more economically viable. It was the low price of oil that made the world so dependent on oil in years past and its cheap price does not encourage energy conservation. As long as prices are cheap, there is no incentive to reduce consumption or to look for more efficient or economically viable alternative energy sources. It is only when people feel the pinch of high gas prices at the pump that they realize the urgent need to minimize energy consumption. As an aside, the original Model-T Ford vehicle was more energy efficient than most of today’s cars.
Among alternative energy sources, the most promising are nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. Nuclear energy, except for its safety concerns, is virtually clean and almost inexhaustible. Its only problem is the proper disposal of toxic wastes. For renewable energy, the one holding the most promise is solar and wind power. The sun is also virtually a limitless energy source and solar panels are now getting cheaper due to improved technology. In fact, there are some areas of the U.S. and Europe where electricity from solar powered panels costs the same as electricity generated from hydroelectric plants. Before, electricity from the Sun was expensive. Significant improvements in production technology of solar panels have brought their prices down and also made them more efficient in converting solar energy into electricity.
Wind power is making tremendous gains in technology and most nations have now made it a national policy to develop their wind power capabilities. Improvements in turbine designs have made wind power now economically viable. Britain is foremost among European countries in this regard and plans to install wind farms along its entire coastline. An iminent wind power consultant is Mr. Hassan who recently won the Queen’s Award for outstanding innovative business strategies. He provides good wind farm consultancy services such as reliable energy production estimates by inputting weather modeling forecasts. Learn more by visiting his site below: