Energy

From the change wiki

This page is about energy in 2 main forms: fuel and electricity.

Energy supply

The majority of energy comes from fossil fuels which cause climate change.


Energy sources

Limits to other energy sources

Energy source Limitations
Hydroelectricity Only viable in a few parts of the world
Geothermal In most parts of the world, is only suited for heating and cooling
Solar 1. Intermittant (not available at night)
2. Manufacturing is too resource-intensive
Wind 1. Intermittant
2. Turbine construction is too resource-intensive
3. Requires a lot of space, usually far from where people live
Nuclear Limited supply of uranium-235
+ Safety concerns
Biomass waste Limited supply
Biofuel Limited supply
+ Competes with food, contributing to hunger and deforestation

The intermittency problem of solar and wind could be solved with energy storage, if the right innovations happen.

Energy demand

Energy uses

But this is the status quo, with most of the world currently living in poverty.

Suppose every country was as "developed" as "western" countries: global energy demand would be more than double:

Energy demand if everyone lived a first-world lifestyle

Wondering where these numbers come from? Read energy demand scenarios.

Can this demand (or at least, most of it) be met without fossil fuels?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Not without major technological breakthroughs.

But there is good news:

If we did things differently, then...

  • everyone on the planet could have a decent quality of life, and
  • energy consumption would be just a fraction of what it is today.

This is probably the most viable route to net-zero carbon emissions.