Beyond Fossil Fuels

For the bulk of human history, people used renewable energy. They burned plant ma
terial, usually wood, to create fires forlight, warmth, and cooking. Following the birth
of agriculture10,000 years ago, animal and human muscle power was used top
low fields, carry burdens, and pullup water from wells. Only much
later, with the Industrial Revolution, people began to exploit nonrenewable fossil
fuels, such as coal, and later, oil and gas. These concentrated energy sourcesmade
the creation of modern civilization possible, and today we have become
energy addicts, consuming more and more as the world develops. However, thiscan
not continue. People may debate how much oil and coal is left under theground or se
a, but one thing is certain: the supply of fossil fuels is finite. We maynot know when t
his energy source will run out, but one day it will, and the impact islikely to be terrible
.

We need a transformation in the way we obtain and use energy. But how are we tod
o it? Some suggest we should turn to nuclear energy as a virtually inexhaustibleener
gy source. They claim that nuclear energy is clean and produces nogreenhouse gas
es. This might be true, but the risk of an accident along the lines ofChernobyl and Fu
kushima or the spread of nuclear materials to a terroristorganization or state make o
ur reliance on nuclear power unacceptable. We areleft with renewable energy source
s. Not wood this time, but biofuel and wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric pow
er. Geothermal and hydroelectric power, whileimportant, exist only in a limited numb
er of regions. So this leaves biofuel and windand solar power to provide us with the e
nergy needs of the future.

Wind power is not new. Since long ago, we have utilized the power of the wind to
sail across the oceans, and many are familiar with windmills used to grind corn or
draw water from wells. In the past 30 years or so, advances in technology have
enabled windpowered generation of electricity to become an economic reality.
Denmark has become the world leader in this regard, and 20 percent of its
electricity now comes from giant wind turbines. Denmark actually transmits
electricity to neighboring countries. The country plans to be completely free of
fossil fuels by 2050.

Solar power also has great potential. In a single year, we receive twice as muchene
rgy from the sun as that contained in all the earths remaining non-renewable
resources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium. For practical purposes, thesu
ns energy is infinite. We can capture some of this energy by designing smartbuilding
s, for example, ones in the northern hemisphere that have most windowsfacing south
and few facing north. This is known as passive solar power. Anotherway is to use th
e suns energy to convert water to steam and have this steam drivean electric gener
ator. A third way is to use a solar cell to produce electricity
directly. Solar power holds great promise, but its reliability in the far north and
south is questionable.

Biofuel is made by fermenting plant material, such as corn or sugarcane, togenerate

ethanol. This ethanol can then be used directly as a fuel or mixed withgasoline. Biodi
esel is made from plant or animal fats and usually added to dieselfuel. Unfortunately,
experts point out that biofuel is not as environmentally friendlyas other renewable en
ergy sources because it produces CO2 when burned. Likewise, critics complain that i
t takes away land that could be used to grow food.

At present, renewable energy sources are more expensive than fossil fuels or
nuclear power, and the supply of fossil fuels has not yet run out. However, it is
clear that the path to a future environmentally friendly world, one with sufficient
energy for all, lies in our investment in renewable energy today and its use tomorrow.