Man has used his brains to make his tasks more efficient for thousands of years. We even invented slavery and it certainly paid off to the instigators with wealth and power. It was the use of coal with the invention of steam driven equipment that finally led to the end of slavery in parts of the world. The invention and the expansion of the uses for electricity have led to a lifestyle envied by those without it. Over the last two centuries, we have moved away from the old-fashioned uses of wind and waterpower. Now we are in a phase of reintroducing the use of wind and Sun power via the generation of electricity. Waterpower has generated electricity for over a century.
We had been moving from low-density fuels such as wood and dung to coal, oil, and gas then nuclear fission. Should we continue to do so?
If we are to decarbonise our energy sources, we need to remember that electricity, as we currently use it, is only a portion of our total energy usage. So, we will need to do much more than simply replace fossil fuel generated electricity with low carbon electricity generation. There is also a second factor, population growth. A third consideration relates to increasing urbanisation and the desire by virtually all the people on earth wanting access to electricity. I have yet to see reliable estimations of just how much more generating capacity will be necessary by 2050. It will be more than double or triple and probably five times more. Five times may still be an underestimate.
As people are drifting into cities all over the world, they are demanding electricity even when living in slum areas. Commentators have stated that these people will steal electricity if it is not made available to them. This is already happening in South America. We have two choices: do the right planning now or face a world of increasing friction and violence.
My Blog has become My Nuclear Journey 