Presentation Transcript

1. The Future of Energy

   By: Stephen Irons 12/2/2010
2. Ask yourself honestly… How much would you be willing to pay or sacrifice in order to fight pollution today and save the future?
3. “Dirty Energy” is Still the Most Realistic Option In a 2006 study, MSNBC reported that there are 122 years worth of oil left on Earth Coalnews.net reports the U.S. can sustain its coal consumption for the next 250 or so years
4. Recent Developments in the Area of Renewable Resources Although non-renewable sources of energy remain relatively plentiful, there are many supporters of alternative ways of producing energy The Obama administration has spear-headed a campaign to give “green” incentives to companies and the common man The main encouragements lie in nuclear, solar, wind, and hydropower, among others
5. Nuclear Power Obama promised a “commitment to jumpstarting the nation’s nuclear power industry” Authorized a pledge of $8.33 billion in loan guarantees
6. Reasonable prices, but at what risk? Nuclear energy is one of the few clean energy sources that can compare price wise to coal and oil Meltdowns at Chernobyl, which caused deaths as well as long term diseases, are the risk of nuclear plants The Three Mile Island incident in the U.S., which occured over 30 years ago, soured the publics perception of nuclear energy No new nuclear plants have been constructed in the U.S. since Three Mile Island Nuclear waste “does not fit into the national budget”
7. Chernobyl
8. Solar Power Solar power has also received backing from the Obama administration It only accounts for 1% of the U.S. electricity use
9. Drawbacks of Solar Power Accepted estimates of solar panel efficiency are only around 12% Photovoltaic (PV) cells costs are falling, but remain expensive to the average consumer China produces 40% of PV cells, which is expected to help drive the cost down
10. Wind Power “Renewable Electricity Standard” bill is in front of Congress The bill has yet to be passed Expected to create 85,000 jobs domestically Could help electricity prices drop from 7-11% by 2020
11. Problems Facing Wind Power With no way to store electricity, wind intermittency is a major problem Some of the best places to set up turbines leave tourists and the tourism industry upset with abstracted views, such as in Cape Cod Although prices of wind power are falling, it remains an expensive option compared to alternatives
12. Hydropower Dwight D. Eisenhower pushed hydroelectric power in the 1950s Obama is trying to expand hydropower to include ocean currents in electricity production
13. Cons of Hydropower Most river candidates for hydropower have already been dammed With very little room for expansion and off-shore candidates being the only option, fierce resistance is coming from two major industries Real Estate Tourism
14. Projections for the Future World increase in energy usage according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Projected growth in each type of energy source (EIA)
15. World Electricity Generation by Fuel Type (EIA)
16. Deciphering the Data Most of the world’s jump in energy consumption will be due to rising economies such as Brazil, China, and India These countries will turn to cheap ways of producing energy, such as natural gas, coal, and oil
17. When will renewables dominate? With plentiful amounts of oil, natural gas, and coal, renewable sources of energy will not become large parts of our energy producing efforts anytime soon Years down the road, 250 for coal and 122 for oil, renewable energy will need to step to the forefront to address the impending energy crisis New technologies and lower costs are helping nuclear, solar, wind, and hydropower every day, but none of these options are strong enough to contend with the “dirty” energy sources
18. Questions? Thank you for your time!