As an energy professional, I see all the time how little we really know about how energy influences our societies and economies. When I worked in the oil industry, for example, we barely knew that petroleum was used to make gasoline for our cars.
Now, as an environmental energy consultant, I know that using petroleum to make gasoline has changed the face of our nation and the world. We have learned much about how petroleum influences our economies. But very little about how it influences our human behavior.
This is a major problem. The most important behavior affected by how petroleum influences our economies is how much of it we use. If we use more of it, we will have more dollars to spend in more areas of our economies that further our growth and development. If we use less, we will have less dollars to spend in less important areas of our economies that cannot further our growth.
Think about it. You can spend your dollars to buy new cars, air conditioners, coffee pots, flat screen televisions, etc. which will be more efficient, more comfortable, etc from cleaner fuels.
Think about it. You can spend your dollars to buy more fertilizer, washing machines, TVs, computers, etc. which will be less efficient, uncomfortable, and less useful.
Think about it. If you use more petroleum, you will have more dollars to spend in more areas of your economies that will further your growth. If you use less petroleum, you will have less dollars to spend in less important areas of your economies. In our current situation, we are consuming the world’s supply of petroleum just to grow our economies. If we do not change our behavior, we will run out of petroleum in a few years. The alternative of course, is bankruptcy and decline as we have seen in the past.
What we need to do is to shift to alternate energy sources now. We have many alternative sources that we can use that will further our growth and development. We must switch to alternate energy sources as soon as possible.
We have many alternate sources of energy. We have solar power, wind power, ocean power, geothermal power, and many other forms of energy.
These alternative energy sources, when combined, can substitute for over 50% of our petroleum consumption.
* Solar power – Solar power is the most abundant source of energy on the planet. It is the power that comes from the sun. Many solar power devices convert the sun’s light into electricity. Using the power of the sun, it is possible to make your own electricity, and you don’t need to buy fossil fuels for your power needs. The cost of installing solar power systems is much less than installing a conventional power generator.
* Geothermal power – This is a form of geoenergy that uses the heat coming from the earth’s core to generate electricity. The temperature of the earth’s core is 155-180 degrees Fahrenheit. The water in the earth’s core rises to the surface as magma. When it reaches the surface, it is heated to a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. This is how geothermal power works. A device is installed in the geothermal well that captures the heat coming from the earth’s core. The heat is used to run a generator that generates electricity.
* Other alternate energy sources – There are many other alternate energy sources which can be used by us as well. The list is endless. Think of the resources that we have to substitute petroleum, coal, natural gas, and nuclear. With the proper technologies and research, we can find alternative sources of energy that are cheaper, and can be used in our buildings, vehicles, and appliances. We can find alternate energy to replace fossil fuels, and replace our nuclear energy. We must shift to an alternate energy system ASAP.
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