The energy problem sooner or later overtakes every state on the planet. The reserves of the Earth’s bowels are not infinite; therefore, planning the future is the main task of research organizations. At the moment, mankind has not come up with an alternative to the basic resources necessary for life.
The main concern of mankind
The energy problem affects every cell of society. The main goals of using natural resources are:
- housing heating;
- transportation of goods;
- industrial use.
Natural sources of energy cannot completely block the obtained efficiency from coal, oil, gas. The pressing issue of the environmental friendliness of fossil-energy conversion is also of concern to all research communities.
Conditions have changed
The energy problem arose decades ago after a sharp increase in resource consumption associated with the development of the automotive industry.
The crisis escalated, and conclusions were drawn that oil reserves would last no more than 35 years. But this opinion has changed after the discovery of new deposits. The development of the fuel industry has led to environmental degradation in the world, which has given rise to a new problem: how to preserve vegetation and wildlife.
The energy problem is considered not only as a matter of extraction and reserves of resources, but also as side effects of dirty fuel production. Because of the desire to possess deposits between the countries, conflicts arise that develop into a protracted war. The economic situation of the regions depends on the method of energy production, on access to it, the place of development and filling of the bases for storing resources.
Solving the energy problem will help improve the situation in several sectors at once, which is relevant for all segments of the population. Ownership of the bulk of resources provides opportunities for managing countries; here the interest of the movement towards globalization of the economy is affected.
Options for closing the fuel crisis issue
The main solutions to problems have already been studied by economists. So far, there is no really valid answer to this question. All options for overcoming the fuel crisis are long and designed for hundreds of years. But gradually, mankind becomes aware of the need for radical actions in the direction of replacing traditional methods of energy production with greener and more useful ones.
The problems of energy development will grow with the growth of manufacturability of industries and transport. In some regions, there is already a shortage of resources in the energy sector. China, for example, has reached the limit in the development of the energy industry, and Britain is striving to reduce this area to restore the environmental situation.
The main trend in the development of energy in the world is moving towards increasing the volume of energy supplies, which inevitably leads to a crisis. However, countries affected by the fuel crisis of the 70s have already developed a mechanism of protection against jumps in the economy. Global energy saving measures have been taken, which are already yielding positive results.
Fuel economy
The energy crisis is partially addressed through savings. It is economically estimated that a unit of fuel saved is cheaper by one third of the extracted from the bowels of the Earth. Therefore, at every enterprise on our planet, a justified energy saving regime has been introduced. As a result, this approach leads to improved performance.
The global energy problem requires the unification of research institutions around the world. According to the results of saving energy consumption in the UK, economic indicators increased by 2 times, and in the USA - by 2.5. As alternative solutions, developing countries are undertaking actions aimed at creating energy-intensive industries.
The energy and raw materials problem is more acute in developing countries, where energy consumption is increasing with increasing living standards. Developed countries have already adapted to changing conditions and developed a mechanism of protection against sharp surges in consumer demand. Therefore, their indicators of resource consumption are optimal and vary slightly.
Difficulties in Resource Conservation
When assessing energy costs, a whole range of energy problems is taken into account. One of the main ones is the cheapness of oil and gas, which prevents the introduction of environmentally friendly converters of natural energy (sun, water movement, ocean wind) into electrical energy. Technology makes a significant contribution to energy conservation. Scientists are constantly on the lookout for more affordable and cost-effective ways to generate energy. These include electric cars, solar panels, batteries made from waste.
The most interesting ideas and inventions for the economy have already received approval from residents of Germany, Switzerland, France, and the UK. By replacing the processing of fossils with environmentally friendly energy converters
, the problem of lack of resources was
solved . Talking about the global crisis due to limited reserves of minerals is now no longer necessary.
Energy Substitution Options
The task of research institutes on the way to solving energy shortages in certain regions is to find an option for the development of technologies necessary to regulate the imbalance of resources. So, in the desert it is better to develop the extraction of electricity from the sun, and in the rainy tropics they try to use hydroelectric power plants.
To maintain economic and environmental indicators at the proper level, they primarily try to replace the use of primary resources: oil and coal. Natural gas and other alternative energy sources are more beneficial for society.
Most clean energy converters require enormous material costs for their implementation in everyday life. Developing countries are not ready for this yet. Partially, the problem of energy shortage is solved by the even distribution of residents of megalopolises in free territories. This process should be accompanied by the construction of new environmentally friendly stations for the conversion of natural energies into electricity and heat.
Harm from primary resources
The main threats to nature and man are offshore oil production, emissions of combustion products into the atmosphere, the results of chemical and atomic reactions, and open-pit coal mining. These processes must be stopped altogether; the development of the scientific industry in lagging regions may become a solution. The consumption of resources grows with the development of society, overpopulation of the terrain and the opening of powerful industries.