The Future of Energy

            As America looks forward to the next hundred years technological advances will transform the landscape of our cities and the way we conduct our daily lives.  One concerning question we must ask ourselves, how will America provide the energy to build and support this technological infrastructure?

            Currently, America relies on fossil fuels for 85% of its energy.  One problem with fossil fuels lies in their finite nature.  For example, at our current rate of consumption, all the oil that we have found buried in the Earth’s mantle will only last the world another 40 years.  The other two main fossil fuels, Coal and natural gas, will probably not too long either.

            Another drawback of fossil fuels, they pollute.  Burning coal and oil to run our power plants and our cars destroys our atmosphere and taints the air we breathe.  Natural gas, on the other hand, produces few pollutants when combusted, but its not as cost efficient as burning coal.

            The U.S. will attempt to convert to using more renewable resources.  Even though some of these renewable resources have their drawbacks too, they are all based on an infinite resource.  The damming of America’s trees produces a lot of cheap energy without any pollution.  Yet, the use of dams does devastate the trees’ ecosystems.  Wind power grows as an energy resource.  The problem is if the wind does not blow, there is no power.  Using solar power has yet to prove itself as a very economical source for energy.  Producing the solar panels takes lots of energy and solar energy requires the sun to be shining to work.  There are also other energy producers like tidal generators, geothermal plants and biodiesel that may take shape in the next few years.

            Where are we heading with energy production during the next 100 years?  The fossil fuels will definitely be used as the number one source for the next decade or two.  We will continue to use them, especially coal, because of their current abundance, cost efficiency, and the fact that our U.S. infrastructure is constructed to support fossil fuels.  The driving force that may phase out fossil fuels is our concern over the environmental impact.  If some new methods were invented to reduce the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels, America would use fossil fuels until the resources were used up.

            As of yet, fossil fuels do pollute. To decrease our dependence on them, the U.S. will begin to increase our reliance on other energy sources.  We will build more windmills, lay solar panels, and experiment with tidal generators, geothermal energy and biodiesel.  In the end, the determining factor on which energy source we use depends on technology.  We will use whatever technology develops as the most cost effective, renewable and environmentally friendly energy source.