Are there limitations to the amount of energy available, and if so, how would we know? It is a straightforward calculation for determining the limits of non-renewable energy resources – though one could argue that all of them have not been discovered, nor exploited. But our understanding about the boundaries surrounding renewable energy use are far less known, understood and realised.
The Energy Path Chosen
As the world’s population rises, the need for greater amounts of energy rises as well. With the recent downturn in the global economy we are seeing people beginning to put the breaks on consumption, to re-evaluate their needs and consider the relationship of energy use into their daily living.
The path ahead is not fully clear, but there are signals that investment in new forms of energy is growing. This is particularly true for solar, wind, biomass and geothermal types of energy. Yet, the balance between the amount of needed energy and it’s use remains highly related to the level of consumption of goods, products and services. It is also impacted by climate and environmental situations.
Sometimes we hear the phrase ‘think global, act local’ and that can have meaning and significance to the boundaries we begin to set on our daily use of energy, but also where and how that energy is produced. Energy is geographical and its transport, processing and distribution are also impacted by boundaries including, costs, availability, environment, access, quantity and quality, for example.
Sustainability and Boundaries
A discussion of energy sustainability opens the door to the wider issues of daily living and how society functions. A connectedness exists between people and the landscape and the resources available and their use. There are different approaches for determining sustainability and many of them often consider, and include, differing parameters, tools for evaluation as well as incorporating wide ranging policies and funding support.
How do you see and understand the boundary of energy in your community? If the area in which you live has larger amounts of different types of energy sources, then what are your responsibilities for helping and sharing that energy with others in need of energy?
This goes back not only to the idea of geographical boundaries for energy, physically, but the very concept and realisation that not all places can generate enough wind, solar, oil or biomass. There is a need to understand these differences in availability and how they act as boundaries and impact policies and development. It is not simply a matter of saying the entire world will move to biomass, solar or any other form of energy.
Instead, a careful evaluation of the ‘geography of energy’ against availability and other factors is a fundamental step leading toward sustainable energy planning. It also means that areas of supply must not simply be mined for their resources, then later transported, but new approaches for establishing sustainable boundaries within production areas could become part of the wider discussion.
There is a growing sense that a multi-modal energy approach holds great promise. It would involve all resource types and require greater understanding, investigation and education. Perhaps it is time we evaluate the boundaries of energy more fully.
