Is The Age of Fossil Fuels Finally Over?
The discovery of fire was a monumental one in our history. It essentially separated us from the rest of the species of the world in that, we then had the capability to use energy to serve our needs.
Over time, we learned to harness energy in all sorts of ways and from all sorts of sources and it all resulted in the building of our grand human civilisation. But with progress, there also arises a problem of sustainability.
As the human civilisation progressed and grew, our numbers grew with it. The population of the world in 1900 was just 1.6 billion. Today, it is around 7.5 billion and by 2050, it is estimated to reach a whopping 9.2 billion. That’s a lot of humans!
Those numbers, coupled with the fact that we live in the age of technology, means only one thing. Our energy requirements are greater than ever and it is only going to increase exponentially. So, the question arises, how do we power the next century?
Fossil Fuels - A Dwindling Source
Much of the world that we know today has been the result of the progress that we’ve made in the last few centuries. From the industrial revolution to the green revolution, tireless human endeavour has been the basis of this 21st century world.
Most of that progress in the last few centuries has been powered by fossil fuels and they have served us well but they have not been without their side effects.
Our rampant use of fossil fuels in all spheres of life has resulted in the degradation of the very environment we live in. From pollution and global warming to climate change, we have messed up the natural balance of the planet and now more than ever, we need alternative sources of energy for our ever advancing civilisation.
Also, considering the fact that fossil fuels are limited in nature and one day we are sure to run out of them, it is vital that we transition into using the energy sources that are more suited to our times.
A World In Transition
If you look at the technological innovation that we have become accustomed to in the past decades, you will be surprised to realise that the same hasn’t happened in the field of energy. We are essentially still using century old technology for our energy needs and that’s a pity.
Although late to the game, the world has finally started to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner and renewable sources. Almost every week we get to hear news about one country or the other making strides in this area.
India has set up an ambitious plan of selling only electric cars by 2030, eventually phasing out all non-electric ones. We are seeing the same trend starting to gain momentum in the entire world led by the top car manufacturers. Also, India recently cancelled plans for many coal power stations in a bid to ramp up solar power generating capacity instead.
China is another country that will play an important role in the transition. They too cancelled about 103 coal stations to combat drastic pollution and have been increasingly ramping up solar power generation. In fact, a few weeks ago, the Qinghai Province in China ran for an entire week on renewable sources like solar, wind and hydro power. Small changes like this often lead to big ones.
The U.K broke an energy record too just a week ago when it met more than 50% of it’s electricity demands with renewable sources. If this is impressive, check out what Denmark did. A few months ago, it ran its entire country on wind power alone for an entire day! Germany also achieved something similar when it ran on 85% renewable energy sources for a day.
Canada too is proving itself as a world leader in renewable energy. In 2015, 66% of the country’s energy demands were met by renewable sources of energy like wind, solar and biomass. With their commitment in this field, that number is only going to get higher.
Renewable energy is breaking similar records in the US too with California hitting an all time high of 56.7 % energy demand met by renewables on March 23. Also, cities like Atlanta plan to go 100% renewable energy by 2035 and Chicago by 2025.
It seems like the entire world is in a transition mode right now doing away with old, obsolete technology and taking steps to secure a world which is free of pollution and one where lack of energy will no longer be an issue anywhere in the world, driving the next century of growth.
The energy revolution has started and it might just mark the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel age.
Green energy isn't advanced enough to replace it's fossil fuel equivalents. Do you have proof that fossil fuels is a dwindling resource. Everything I keep reading is that with newer technology we have access and discovering more fossil fuels than we've ever known about before.
You right and also they find out that some exhausted and dry wells are full again. The whole concept of fossil fuel is wrong. Our earth just pumping mineral oil from core toward surface.
I believe fossil fuels will become obsolete ... eventually. We will get to a point where the earth isn't producing enough or it becomes too expensive to extract. Once that happens there will be a shift to alternative energy slowly and gradually as new technology is developed.
It'll happen, for sure. But I'm not sure if alternative energy is really so clean as they claim. Solar panels contains a lot of weird stuff and batteries also.
For sure. I think this is what happens when you try and force clean energy. It's all smoke and mirrors as far as how "clean" it actually is.
And also people believe that alternative energy will be free. They're in for big surprise. It'll cost more. Government will say: if we want to protect our ball we should pay more. And we The sheeple will pay. Sad, but mark my words.
Green energy, in the US at least, is heavily subsidized. Even Nuclear would not survive without government subsidies.
Nothing is gonna be free. They are in for the profits like everyone else. And if it is heavily promoted even if it is not as clean as presented then for sure the profits are bigger
Green energy is slowly but surely advancing to a stage that in the coming decades, it will be able to replace fossil fuels. As for dwindling fossil fuels, I'm sure that there are many more reserves in oceans and what not that are still left to be found but I think we are getting to a point slowly when they will be more and more difficult to extract from the planet.
Its great news that we are moving away from fossil fuels to more sustainable and environmentally friendly fuels. Despite Trumps best attempts to reinvigorate fossil fuel production by backing out of the Paris Accord, the US is on track to beat it targets anyway. I think that we have reached a point of no return and there is no going back. France is even banning all petrol and diesel cars by 2040 and only using eclectic or hybrid vehicles.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/06/france-ban-petrol-diesel-vehicles-2040/
Lets hope we are not too late.
Yeah, point of no return for sure. There is suddenly a strong interest worldwide towards the shift and the signs are already here.
Thanks for sharing that link @grizgal ! Didn't hear about France's decision until now... Hoping other countries follow the same example. There are many natural renowable energy sources yet people keep on relying on fossil fuels, it's just so sad.
I think we are past the point of no return. Several other European countries have a similar target to France with some more ambitious. Renault will stop making petrol and diesel only cars in 2019, VW are investing heavily in electric vehicles (following the emissions scandal) and most other major manufacturers are moving that way, probably scared by the success of Tesla!
I live in the UK are everywhere you look now there are solar and wind farms (and we don't even get that much sun). I believe the biggest issue with renewables is storage but battery tech is improving immensely and it's only a matter of time before the majority of power is locally generated and consumed, all by renewable means!
In my own home country, Norway, Statoil (one of Europe's largest oil and gas companies) are transitioning more and more into an "energy company".
They have, for instance, been working on this project for a long time to use offshore Oil & Gas-rig technology and competence to build the world's first floating windpark. And those windmills are massive!
The most important things that are slowing progress down in Norway though, is mostly the fact that the Oil and Gas sector employs so many people, that politicians still want to incentivise opening new sections of the sea for drilling, and even giving subsidies for companies to search for new reservoirs.
Anyways, things are going the right way :)
Yeah, change is always difficult but it always happens anyways. It's nice that Statoil is building that wind farm. There is so much available energy every day from wind, tides, sun that we could power ourselves for thousands of years. We just need to get better at harnessing that power. If the progress in this area is kept unrestricted, I think within our lifetimes, we are going to see a totally different world, energy-wise :)
That's awesome to here all of the improvements.
I've decided to leave my small impact on helping the world out by biking to work. It took me about 45 minutes to bike to work, and only added another 10 minutes to my commute. :) Biking would also be a great way to help out the environment. :)
Yeah, if we all did our bit, it would be a big change for the world. A tiny bit by everyone becomes so large because there are 7.5 billion of us!! :)
Absolutely. Oh man the bike home was a lot harder after work. It gets pretty hot in Sacramento, but still worth it! :) We need to save our planet so people in the future can enjoy it as well.
Yeah, biking after work will definitely be hard after the day's exhaustion. Totally agree with the need to save the planet for the future generations :)
That was an interesting read. Good stats. I didn't realize there had been that much of a change on a national level.
With the lobbying power of the large oil & gas industry though, I don't feel like the big players are going to be going anywhere soon. I think a complete change or shift in the way energy is produced will depend on whether the gas giant corporations get on board with the idea. And I assume that will only be if they are getting a major chunk of that pie!
It might be safe to say that the days of the oil companies just purchasing every new patent created that threatened the companies livelihood, and then shelving the patent in the process might be over. This alone would be a significant step forward.
Yeah, the lobbying has been one of the major reasons why the world is not already well into the transition.
I like your post, wow cool there is wind power plant ,,,, which area tu ,,, definitely energy-efficient ,,,
Thank you :)
Tesla is the future
Tesla car battery production releases as much CO2 as 8 years of gasoline driving. Renewable energy is good as long as you can send it directly to devices that need it. At least until we find more eco-friendly way to store energy.
Tesla will surely be a major player in this energy shift. I read somewhere that they want to be a one stop shop for all things renewables.
Yea, condition is going to bad.
"The Stone Age didn't end because they ran out of stones."
We'll move on to the next thing - hopefully renewable - while we also develop those baseload resources and "batteries" of all types.
I'm about number 350,000 for a Tesla Model 3, at which point I'll add solar to my home. Hopefully, the panels will produce all the power my home and my car need.
The path forward continues to look amazing. Even small setbacks can't stop the momentum and cost reduction of these newer fuel sources.
Yep! Solar power today costs just as much as the fossil fuels. So, it is just better to transition to that. Tesla will be a key player in this transition.
One can only hope. While we're at it.. let's end the age of fiat currency.
The blockchain will do that for us ;)