What is Energy crisis?

An energy crisis is any great bottleneck (or price rise) in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In popular literature though, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, particularly those that supply national electricity grids or serve as fuel for vehicles. There has been an enormous increase in the global demand for energy in recent years as a result of industrial development and population growth. Supply of energy is, therefore, far less than the actual demand.

Causes:
Market failure is possible when monopoly manipulation of markets occurs. A crisis can develop due to industrial actions like union organized strikes and government embargoes. The cause may be over-consumption, aging infrastructure, choke point disruption or bottlenecks at oil refineries and port facilities that restrict fuel supply. An emergency may emerge during unusually cold winters due to increased consumption of energy. Pipeline failures and other accidents may cause minor interruptions to energy supplies. A crisis could possibly emerge after infrastructure damage fromsevere weather. Attacks by terrorists or militia on important infrastructure are a possible problem for energy consumers, with a successful strike on aMiddle East facility potentially causing global shortages. Political events, for example, when governments change due to regime change, monarchy collapse, military occupation, and coup may disrupt oil and gas production and create shortages.

Conventional & Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

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Conventional sources of energy usually include fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil as well as nuclear power. Nonconventional sources include solar power, hydropower and wind power.

Benefits

Fossil fuels are inexpensive and require established technologies that can produce energy around the clock. Nonconventional energy sources have a much smaller environmental footprint and are renewable.

Disadvantages
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Conventional sources of energy have a limited supply because eventually the nuclear elements and fossil fuels will be used up. In addition, burning fossil fuels release significant amounts of greenhouse gases and contribute to acid rain. Nonconventional energy sources are still expensive and are often limited to producing energy only under certain circumstances such as sunny days for solar plans and windy days for windmills.

Size
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Fossil fuels provide about 85 percent of the energy in the United States, and oil provides almost all of the energy for automobiles.

Potential
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Even though there are significant environmental costs associated with fossil fuels, the U.S. Department of Energy expects their usage to increase of the next 20 years because nonconventional energy sources will not develop quickly enough to meet the growing energy demands.

The Objectives of Non Conventional Sources of Energy

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Solar panels produce energy where conventional sources cannot. Though non conventional energy sources, such as solar and wind power, make up a small part of the overall market, they offer benefits not found in traditional sources. Solar plants produce energy with no carbon emissions. Non conventional sources relieve U.S. dependency on foreign oil and they can provide reliable energy in remote locations where conventional energy sources do not reach.

1. Energy Independence
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Although petroleum yields many useful fuels and substances, the supply of cheap overseas oil contributes to the U.S. trade imbalance. This also complicates foreign policy, as a country dependent on foreign resources has less international political leeway. Since wind, solar and other

non conventional sources produce energy locally, they promote the domestic economy and the worthwhile goal of energy independence.

Renewable Energy
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Fossil fuels burn easily and provide decent amounts of energy, but their supplies are limited. Estimates vary, but known coal reserves will last between about 50 and 120 years. Petroleum has similar limits. After these sources run out, they are gone forever. Nature, however, replenishes solar, wind and other non conventional energy sources. Biofuels come from crops produced every growing season. Civilization must wean itself from fossil fuels in order to continue.

Reduced CO2 Emissions

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Under pressure by political and environmental groups wanting to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, traditional power utilities are considering adding carbon removing equipment to their plants. Solar and wind technologies, unlike coal and oil, do not involve combustion for producing energy, so their operation emits no CO2 or other greenhouse gases. Although you burn biofuels to make power, the crops harvested for these fuels consume CO2, so this source tends to be carbon neutral, removing as much carbon dioxide as it makes.

Energy Access
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Some non conventional energy sources provide reliable power where conventional ones cannot. Communications satellites used some of the first solar cells for power, as they operate far from any traditional power source. The sun shines continuously in space, so solar panels make an ideal choice. On Earth, solar panels also see use in areas miles from the nearest power line. A solar panel can charge batteries, providing reliable power for emergency lighting and communications.

Objective of Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

Conventional energy sources such as coal, natural gas and oil have been a staple of world energy needs since the Industrial Revolution. Yet with the advent of climate change and a looming energy crisis in the West, the U.S. redefined its objectives, aiming to use clean, affordable and secure sources of energy. Non-conventional energy sources such as geothermal, wind, solar, hydroelectric and bio-power are just some examples of energy sources that meet such objectives, and have risen to the challenge of meeting the increasing energy demands of tomorrow.

1. Reduce Climate Change

Climate change is becoming an increasingly serious concern for nations with significant energy demands. In many cases, non-conventional energy sources have been a response to this phenomenon, as they are designed to release less carbon and directly counter the contributing effects of climate change. Politicians and environmentalists recognize this as a primary objective of environmentally green technology. Considerations such as the fossil fuel, electricity and water use of green facilities, as well as solid waste reductions, are taken into account when establishing new nonconventional energy sources.

TYPES OF ENERGY: of Energy Sources

Oil is the world s favorite energy source which comprises 38% to the total energy production closely followed by coal (26%) and gas (23%). Both nuclear and hydroelectric energy sources contribute equally at 6% each with the remaining 1% coming from solar, wind, wood, wave, tidal, and geothermal sources. The supply of oil has both geopolitical and strategic implications for the entire world. It is geopolitical because the large known oil reserves are in the Middle East which is a region considered to be antiAmerican. It was the hidden agenda in the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the toppling of a legitimate or some say illegitimate, presidency of Saddam Hussein. Iraq has the 2nd largest known oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia.

Electricity diagram Oil was used once before as a political weapon by Arab countries when the cartel of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was still strong then. The discovery of new and large oil fields in countries which are not members reduced OPEC s political and economic clout on the world stage. It is also strategic militarily because it is one of the war materials a country needs to wage and win wars. Oil, like copper and aluminum, is a strategic raw material and the U.S. imports a lot of oil not for its

consumption but for stockpiling in underground salt mines in Utah and Nevada. These reserves form its strategic planning to ensure supplies of critical materials in wartime. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is filled up to 700 million barrels which is equal to about a month s energy consumption by the U.S. There has been a frantic search for oil by drilling in such pristine areas as Alaska, around the Great Lakes area and continental shelf but it carries the risk of degrading the ecosystem and the environment.

Energy consumption graph Coal consumption has been increasing for the past years because of the fantastic price increases of oil in world markets. Coal is relatively cheaper compared to all other energy sources and new carbon-emission technologies allowed cleaner burning. Another reason for its comeback is its availability in the U.S. mainland and therefore it is less vulnerable to supply disruptions than oil which is mainly imported from other countries.

Water energy Gas is a cleaner fuel compared to either oil or coal but has its own drawbacks. One is the safe transport of gas since it is very flammable or combustible. This energy source is cooled and pressurized to make it into liquid form for easier and safer transport. The correct term for it is liquified natural gas (LNG) or liquified petroleum gas (LPG).

Nuclear energy Nuclear power is a significant energy source in some countries like Germany and France. Its critics always cite safety concerns because of what happened at the Chernobyl reactor. The meltdown and resulting explosion spewed clouds of radioactive material into much of Europe and is the leading cause of birth defects due to genetic mutations. There is a new nuclear reactor technology that uses ceramics for its core. Ceramics can prevent meltdowns because it has a very high tolerance for extreme heat.

Hydroelectric power energy Hydroelectric power is the alternative energy chosen by some countries who do not want nuclear plants due to safety concerns. This is a viable alternative when a country has sufficient water supplies. The largest dam for years is the Hoover Dam in the U.S. between the borders of Arizona and Nevada. Today, that distinction now belongs to the Three Gorges Dam in mainland China. When it becomes operational in 2011, it will be the largest hydroelectric power station in the world producing some 22,500 megawatts. The argument against building dams to produce electricity is dislocation of the people living nearby and the resulting changes to the environment. The dam made many historical monuments, archaeological sites and cultural villages now underwater and gone forever. This Chinese dam spans the Yangtze River in the Hubei province and is the largest civil works project since the construction of the Great Wall. A reason for building this giant dam is flood control along the entire Yangtze River. Estimated total cost of this project is US$25 billion when completed and it needs to generate about 1,000 terawatts in 10 years for its construction costs to be fully recovered. China has a 14-facility hydropower long-term development plan in place until 2020. o