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SUMMARY:The Energy Challenge
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20090423T100000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20090423T110000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260619T144825Z
UID:indico-event-828@indico.ific.uv.es
DESCRIPTION:A large increase in world energy use is expected.  The develop
 ed world could survive perfectly well with less energy\, but an increase i
 s needed to lift billions out of poverty in the developing world\, where a
  quarter of the world's population lack electricity.  Meeting future deman
 d will be an enormous challenge.  Reducing demand must be an imperative\, 
 but with the world's population set to grow 20% by 2030\, it is unlikely t
 hat greater efficacy will produce an actual decrease in energy use\, unles
 s living standards stop improving in the developing world. \n\nCurrently f
 ossil fuels provide 80% of the world's primary energy.  Burning fossil fue
 ls is generating potentially catastrophic climate change\, and is unsustai
 nable as they won't last for ever (oil will be depleted first\, then gas: 
 it is said that there is enough coal for over 200 years\, but that is with
  current use - use is growing at 4.5% p.a.\, which turns 200 years into 50
  years).  The world will probably burn the remaining fossil fuels\, on a t
 ime-scale that is short compared to the hundreds of years that CO2 stays i
 n the atmosphere.  Developing the technology to capture and store CO2\, an
 d then (if feasible) rolling it out on the largest scale reasonably possib
 le\, must therefore be a priority.  Meanwhile we must expand the use of lo
 w carbon sources of energy that will be needed when the fossil fuel era en
 ds.   These energy sources should include wind\, marine\, bio\, and geothe
 rmal energy\, but they will not provide anything like enough.   \n\nIn pri
 nciple the only sources that can replace a large fraction of the energy pr
 ovided by fossil fuels are solar and nuclear.  There is enough solar energ
 y to meet all the world's needs\, but - if it is to play a major role - th
 e cost needs to be reduced and means of storage and cheaper transmission d
 eveloped (concentrated solar looks especially promising as it produces hea
 t which can be stored in molten salts\, and - at high enough temperature -
  produce hydrogen).   Nuclear is already widely available and needs to be 
 expanded now\, but if there is a major nuclear renaissance\, relatively ch
 eap uranium will become scarce in the second half of the century.  The con
 ventional nuclear age can\, and should\, be prolonged by adopting more eff
 icient fuel cycles\, but we must start preparing for the post cheap uraniu
 m age now by developing plutonium fast breeders\, thorium reactors and fus
 ion as a matter of urgency. \n\nThe political and economic challenges invo
 lved in the transition to a low carbon world will be even greater than the
  technical challenges.\n\nhttps://indico.ific.uv.es/event/828/
LOCATION:Edf. Institutos de Investigación Sala Seminarios IFIC
URL:https://indico.ific.uv.es/event/828/
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