Do we have any energy crisis?
Energy is defined as the power derived from physical or chemical resources to provide light, heat, or work machines. And the law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed — only converted from one form of energy to another.
Here’s some food for thought. On a global scale, we burn carbon-based fuels converting them into carbon dioxide and water.
If we refer back to the law of conservation of energy, we must consider the fate of carbon dioxide.
In the last few months, we’ve witnessed a series of energy crisis events. Nearly 5 million Texas residents lost access to food, water, and heat after three severe weather storms.
Yesterday parts of the Southeastern United States faced a fuel shortage after a ransomware attack disrupted the 5,500 mile Colonial Pipeline. Unlike the Texas crisis caused by weather, this was a cybersecurity issue.
Ultimately the future energy requirements are met by non-carbon-based energy resources. But are we truly prepared?
To understand our energy needs, we must assess the innovations of today and the future.
Innovations of today, tomorrow
By now, the words cryptocurrency and blockchain are no longer cryptic ideologies. The latter (blockchain) supports cryptographic protocols as a form of communication on peer-to-peer enabled networks, to keep it simple.
Blockchain platforms such as Ethereum allow for the deployment of smart contracts. These digital contracts enforced by the “code is law” are reusable and resolve intermediary complexities and costs associated with the traditional process.
A few years ago, getting the public to understand the implications of laboratory-grown materials was inscrutable. Let’s say teaching adjectives for stanza was an easier task.
Progression within the field of biomaterials leads to a foreseeable future of products with enhancements in structure and flavor. However, to become an effective and sustainable alternative, scientists and engineers must scale their innovations timely.
The future of transportation is a highly complex subject. We need better infrastructure for faster and energy-efficient vehicles.
A train ride from Los Angeles to New York is a 68-hour trip. From LAX to JFK, a commercial airliner fuel charges amount to nearly $11,000 for a one-way trip.
As the world becomes familiar with non-carbon fuels, alternative food products, and distributed digital technologies, an opportunity arises. The production, consumption, and recyclability of these alternative solutions require a steady energy source, readily attainable.
Energy and Innovation
The high consumption of energy by market leaders creates an opportunity to evolve our sourcing and commodity market. Most of our transportation and infrastructure rely on fossil fuel, nuclear energy, and renewable energy sources.
While the accessibility of solar energy continues to increase and incrementally become more efficient, biomass offers a comparative outlook. The waste from cultivation, manufacturing and consumer rejection all become sources of energy.
There are four ways to convert biomass into useable energy, direct combustion, thermochemical conversion, chemical conversion, and biological conversion. Each produces a combination of solid, heat, gaseous fuel, and liquid fuel materials.
Conversion of biomass still produces greenhouse gases. Alternatively, there are methods of producing non-carbon fuels to power homes, auto, and a wide range of computer technologies.
It is no secret of wind-generated power superiority in comparison to solar power. On average, a wind turbine produces enough energy to power a home for one month in less than two hours, but solar panel technology is less hazardous and pays off sooner.
Everyone’s favorite contenders are Lithium and Hydrogen. We use lithium in a wide range of dry cell batteries to power electronics, homes, and cars.
Are we there yet?
The answer is no. An average household in the U.S. consumes approximately 10,932 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. We can conclude a combination of household demand exceeds 1,320 terawatts per hour, enough to fly 183 Boeing 737 aircraft at a constant speed.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Texas accounts for more than 20% of total U.S. energy production. However, we should note this does not account for offshore activities.
So when Texas freezes, it’s safe to assume others will feel the aftermath through a constriction or delay in supply. Let’s also not start with the notion that today’s solar is tomorrow’s answer.
We’ve come far with the use of renewable energies. What we don’t process, the manufacturing waste and consumer rejects all become sources of energy.
Scientists are continuing their work to make new solar technologies to improve capture and conversion. Yet, there is still a ways to go to exceed 50% efficiency.
What does the future of lithium-based technologies require? Access to material and a continuous supply chain.
Why Bio-innovation?
China is leading the pack. And arguably, other South Asian countries are developing their resource stockpiles.
As a society, we can no longer sustain producing materials with antiquated processes. Increased investment in biomining operations offers the potential to source ingredients for energy production sustainably.
Although energy production from biomass produces direct carbon exploitation and useful waste, the current state of biomining requires structured capital and advanced machinery in most cases. In the future, integrated advances in molecular and synthetic biology will produce more efficient enzymes and reducing the need for toxic reagents (i.e., sulfuric acids).
Conclusion
The future, without a doubt, involves unique innovation in energy production. But until we understand the implications of process improvement to reduce cost but not limit our overexploitation, we are stuck. What is the next stop for carbon dioxide in this global ecosystem? Perhaps, the answer correlates with increased vegetation which could promote nutrient-rich soils. It’s all hypothesis.
But, two important points. A weak cybersecurity platform is a problem. The other, energy is not destroyed, but we as an unorganized society can disrupt the process.
I like to think of ideas as potential energy. They’re really wonderful, but nothing will happen until we risk putting them into action. — Mae Jemison
