Shift to Alternative Energy Sources
Description:
The average oil- and natural gasoline prices have been increasing over the last decades. This is mainly attributable to the inevitable fact that one day these natural resources are depleted. However the demand for energy is still increasing. In the future we need an alternative energy source capable at satisfying this ever increasing demand. These future prospects fuel the research done on alternative energy sources.
Enablers:
- Natural energy source depletion
- Current high prices of oil and gas
- Future power shift because of finding/controlling an alternative energy source.
- Kyoto potocol which regulate the CO2 emission
- Technical progress of fuel cell which produces energy using hydrogen specially in the field of stack, fuel converter and hydrogen container
- Technical progress of solar cell
- Increasing construction of the wind power plant
- Increasing construction of the tidal power plant
- Techncal development for geothermal power generation
- Developing a new process for converting agricultural and other organic wastes into energy
- Increasing public needs for environmental friendly energy source
Inhibitors:
- Bad economy results in less money to spend on research on alternative energy.
- Public rejection of alternative energy source (nuclear energy).
- Finding many new rich oil- and gasoline areas.
- Technical barrier for developping new technology such as fuel cell, solar cell etc
- Security issues for using hydrogen
- High initail cost to buy fuel cell and solar cell system
Paradigms:
Before, there was enough oil and gasoline for everyone. Now governments and oil and gasoline companies are breaking their minds on how to deal with the demand for energy in the future.
Timing:
In 2050 only a few countries are capable of exporting oil and natural gasoline. This means that long before the prices have gone up and the public will demand an alternative energy source.
In 2015 sufficient technical advance will be realized for energy equipments which use alternative energy sources
Shell, Exxon, etc..
http://www.fuelcellworld.org/article_default_list.fcm?section=1&subsite=1172