The energy industry is going through the greatest transformation in history. The impact of energy production and consumption on the environment is varied and mankind has begun to understand the importance of improving energy efficiency and ensuring energy security for all. The current trend is to explore sustainable energy options that can provide electricity for future generations.
The increasing use of energy since the industrial revolution has also brought about a number of serious problems, some of which, like global warming, pose potentially serious risks to the world.
Energy Conservation
Energy is essential to life and the key to human progress. Its preservation is essential in modern industrial societies. Coal and other fossil fuels are in danger of running out soon because once consumed they are no longer available to us in the same form. Today, 85% of primary energy comes from fossil fuels. Their reserves are limited and will not exist for future generations as consumption increases with a growing population. A considerable waste of energy takes place in our world. We must learn to use energy resources wisely to avoid the energy death of our future generations. For this, we need to understand what energy resources are available to us and for how long. How can we make them last longer? Conservation of energy becomes important in this context.
Economic impact of the energy industry
The production and consumption of energy resources are very important for the global economy. All economic activity requires energy resources, whether to manufacture goods, provide transportation, operate computers and other machinery. Generalized energy demand can compete for energy utilities and the formation of retail energy markets. The energy sector represents 4.6% of outstanding leveraged loans, compared to 3.1% ten years ago. Energy bonds account for 15.7% of the $1.3 trillion junk bond market, down from 4.3% over the same period.
Impact of population growth
It is therefore quite clear that access to affordable energy is fundamental for human activities, development and economic growth. Without access to electricity and clean fuels, people’s opportunities are significantly limited. Population growth and competition for resources have continuously been an impetus for the control and use of energy. In energy harvesting, inventions have evolved from earlier innovations, fluctuating with changes in population pressures and resource availability – necessity shaping history.
The world suffers from environmental problems, many if not all of which can be attributed to the uncontrolled use of energy and related resources by an ever-increasing world population. On the one hand, the industrially developed part of the world consumes fossil fuels to meet the energy needs of its inhabitants and industries, and to provide land and air transport. At the other end of the social spectrum, the developing world suffers from a severe shortage of the energy needed for development.
Environmental impact
The whole world depends on energy in one form or another. We depend on energy from lighting, to providing water, to preparing meals and launching satellites. Advances in agricultural mechanization have led to improved rural livelihoods and food security. In developing countries, electricity and diesel from the grid are used to carry out agricultural operations. There are problems associated with these traditional energy sources, for example, diesel is a fossil fuel that is quickly depleted and pollutes the environment. Additionally, the operating cost of diesel power is considerably high compared to hydropower which is cheaper and non-polluting.
The generation, transport and use of energy carriers unfortunately have undesirable effects. The environmental impacts are multiple and serious, although generally less obvious. Emissions of fine particles in suspension and the precursors of acid deposition contribute to local and regional atmospheric pollution and the degradation of ecosystems. Human health is threatened by high levels of air pollution resulting from particular types of energy use at household, community and regional levels. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily from energy production and use, alter the atmosphere in ways that affect the climate.
Sustainable development of the energy industry
Develop the capacity of all stakeholders in all countries, especially in the public sector, to address issues related to energy for sustainable development. Adoption of policies and mechanisms to increase access to energy services through modern fuels and electricity for the 2 billion. Advance innovation, with a balanced focus on all stages of the innovation chain: research and development, demonstrations, cost reduction and wide dissemination.
Regulatory framework
The regulation should establish appropriate market framework conditions (including further market reform, coherent regulatory measures and targeted policies) to encourage competitiveness in energy markets, reduce the total cost of energy services for end users and protect important public services benefits. Move to cost-based pricing and phase out all forms of permanent subsidies for conventional energy. Remove barriers and provide incentives, where necessary, to encourage greater energy efficiency and the development and/or diffusion of new energy technologies for sustainable development in wider markets.
Alternative transportation fuels
Alternative transportation fuels are fuels that are not derived from petroleum. They include not only those derived from renewable sources, but also natural gas and its derived fuels. Flex-fuel vehicles are vehicles that can run on multiple fuels (or fuel blends). This technology was created in 1980 and today there are approximately 2 million flexible fuel vehicles in the United States. The main fuels used are gasoline and several alternative fuels, such as pure ethanol (already used in Brazil in motor vehicles) and mixtures of ethanol and gasoline.
Clean coal technology
Clean technologies can have a major impact on the global economy by enabling the continued use of coal in an environmentally acceptable manner, thereby reducing reliance on more expensive coal, oil and natural gas, while avoiding economic problems caused by fluctuating natural gas prices.
Although natural gas is expected to power many new power and industrial plants to meet growing demand over the next two decades, it is essential to maintain fuel flexibility, thus enabling the use of local low-cost fuels, such as than coal.
Unfortunately, in addition to carbon and hydrogen, most coals contain sulfur, nitrogen, minerals and chlorine, in varying concentrations. Coals also contain trace elements, such as mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, thorium and uranium, in very small concentrations, usually only a few parts per million. During the combustion of coal, trace elements can be released into the environment in various forms, sometimes harmful. In the past, burning coal has contributed to acid rain, smog, massive forest die-off, eutrophication of lakes, and other environmental problems. Because such impacts are no longer acceptable, new methods to reduce harmful emissions from coal-fired power plants are needed. The technology to achieve this is generally referred to as Clean Coal Technology (CCT).
Global warming
More than 100 years ago, Svante Arrhenius suggested that CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels could increase the infrared opacity of the atmosphere enough to warm the Earth’s surface. During the 20th century, the human population quadrupled and humanity’s rate of energy consumption increased 16 times, mainly due to the increased burning of fossil fuels. In recent years, confirmations of the observation of global warming due to the fossil fuel greenhouse have accumulated, and we have come to better understand the interactions of fossil fuel combustion, the carbon cycle and climate change. . Stabilizing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere at a specified level will require increasingly stringent emission reductions. However, even a complete cessation of emissions would not restore pre-industrial levels for more than millennia. The technology challenge of the century may be to reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels enough to prevent unacceptable climate change as the world’s population, energy consumption and economy continue to grow.
The energy sector is undergoing a transformation.
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Creation date Wednesday, September 30, 2020 Views 774