What Is the Best Source of Energy for the Future?

Energy is often a bone of contention. We’re all aware of our dependence on energy, but we can rarely agree on how it should actually be generated. Is wind energy the future? Should we be tapping into our natural gas resources? Or is there another solution? One thing is clear. The question ‘what is the best source of energy for the future?’ divides opinion, on a colossal scale. But why can no-one agree?

In the most part, it’s down to our point of view. We all have different backgrounds, cultures and ethics, so we all draw different conclusions. Some worry about the visual impact of renewable energy projects. Others are embroiled in protests against fracking - the process used to extract shale gas from the ground. Some people want cheap energy, while others prioritise the reduction of global warming. It leaves us in a difficult predicament: how can we find a way forward - allowing us to generate affordable, sustainable energy for decades to come?

The Future of Energy: What Are the Options?

Let’s take a look at the options available to us, right now. First up, we have renewable energy: wind farms, biomass plants, tidal projects and solar PV to name just a few. In theory, renewables are an ideal energy source, because we will never run out of resources to power them. The wind will always blow, the sun will always shine and the tides will always turn. In fact, a recent UN report has revealed that sustainable or green energy is the fastest-growing sub-sector in the global energy mix. But of course, this all comes with a catch.

Renewables are not predictable. We cannot control mother nature, and the output of renewable sites fluctuates as a result. Their capacity to generate energy is limited too. At the end of 2013, the peak output of all UK wind farms was 6,004MW. Now compare that to Drax - the UK’s single biggest power station that can generate 4,000MW on its own. That’s two-thirds of the electricity generated by every single wind farm combined. 

Nuclear is often touted as an alternative to renewables. With lower emissions it does, in part, satisfy the need to minimise our carbon footprint. Reliability is not an issue, and operating costs are relatively low. Yet it is fraught with problems because the risks of injury or environmental disasters are high, and relatively unknown. Nuclear waste lasts from 200-500 thousand years, too.

And that’s not the end of the story: there is still natural gas, coal and petroleum to consider.

The Role of Petroleum

But what about our energy needs beyond electricity? How about the heat for our homes and the fuel for our cars? That’s where petroleum - or crude oil - comes in. Petroleum is derived from the fossilised remains of marine animals. Over the course of millions of years, they become compressed between layers of the earth - eventually becoming petroleum. Following a refining process, this can then be used to power our transport, heat our homes, and even generate electricity at specialist plants.

Right now, petroleum has a critical role to play. We are reliant on it for energy - and that’s why it must have a role to play in the future. As alternative technologies evolve - including ‘carbon capture’ at coal-fired plants and greater development of renewables - we need the crutch of petroleum to produce reliable energy. In a recent article, we asked the question: Will Petroleum Production Continue to Increase? According to recent research, petroleum production will not only increase but surpass expectations. 

The full spectrum of the energy mix is important. But, inevitably this needs to be bolstered by a proven method of generation. As we all make up our minds about newer methods, in the meantime the world keeps turning and we keep on demanding energy.