Session 8

Prof mentioned that knowledge was lost on many occasions, one being the burning of books by Qin Shi Huang. Hence, we are sort of at a stage where we are going backwards and forwards. As someone living in Singapore, I must say that our consumption per capital is very high. Based on the current consumption, there is simply not enough to supply us and the generations to come. Hence, it is inevitable that we need to retool and create an environment where the world uses sustainable energy sources.

In this lesson, we discussed about the different energy sources that we currently rely on and explore the new ways in which renewable energy can be developed. There are many different types of renewable energy that are available. For instance, there is biomass fuel, solar energy and wind energy. Biomass is biological material that is derived from living organisms. Solar energy is harnessing power from the sun. Wind energy is using wind to turn the turbines resulting in electricity produced from the kinetic energy of the turbines.

Prof started the lesson off with a video where humans shift from using fossil fuels as consumption to sustainable sources. In the video, it shows that as the world population increase, the consumption of energy would rise. Hence, we need to cultivate new habits, such as taking the public transport instead of owning cars. Moreover, the introduction of new technologies like using solar power, wind power shift the production of harmful pollution. In addition, we also have to think of new ideas to improve the situation.    

In the past when the West has their industrial revolution, they grew on consuming fossil fuels. In the process of building infrastructures for the country, the consumption of fossil fuel soared. This created a lot of problems. It resulted in global warming which is what we are experiencing today. Moreover, rising sea levels also threatens to submerge low lying nations. Developing countries (China and India) cannot follow this path as it will further exacerbate the problem. They would have to think of other methods. In the future, China would have to consume a lot more oil than the US as their population is higher than that of the US.

China foresees that they would need to rely on other sources of energy hence; they have been investing heavily in the research and innovation of ways in which renewable energy can be developed. However, there have been some controversies in relation to this. For example the construction of the three gorges dam was seen as destruction to the environment although it helped to create electricity for China. The dam brought about significant environmental impact for example earthquakes, landslides and a decrease in wildlife around that area.  

There is a problem of depleting amount of petroleum. Hence, we need to turn to renewable sources. 

Countries around the world are also doing something about this. Europe has made it mandatory to use energy saving bulbs and have banned the use of filament lamp. Germany has also been innovative and successful in using renewable energy to sustain their needs. Germany plans to generate about 35% of its electricity by 2020.     

The reason why the change towards using renewable energy sources is not happening fast enough is because fossil fuels are artificially priced lower. The price of oil simply does not include the opportunity cost that incurs when one uses oil. The environmental price to pay, when more carbon dioxide is emitted is not factored in the price of oil. Burning oil as fuel is wasteful when there are many other uses for crude oil. One of the most common products of crude oil is plastic. Therefore, when we take into account the opportunity cost of oil then the price of oil will rise. This in turn would be a major determinant to consumers. Using a combination of wind power, solar power, geothermal power, hydroelectricity and biofuels, Germany is moving towards relying on renewable energy. There are also government policies in place to support renewable energy. People who produce renewable energy can sell the electricity at fixed prices. Hence, this has caused a huge increase in production of renewable energy.

There is already a significant research done. I feel that the most important part is about implementing it to our daily lives. More focus should be given to constructing and ensuring that there are adequate facilities to support the people who are using such technologies.

Personal Rating: 9/10