The Costs and Implications of Our Demand for Energy: A Comparative and Comprehensive Analysis of the Available Energy Resources

Book excerpt: This book is an in-depth analysis of the dynamics of energy in the 21st century. It looks at the risks presented by non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels by giving a special consideration to their single most implication: climate change and by considering some fundamental yet important aspects of energy such as its forms, conservation, measure, and distribution. In it, Fritz Dufour also dives deep into the economics of energy by analyzing important concepts such as energy efficiency and the behavioral gap, energy security and its quantification, and the costs and policies of energy programs. Each type of energy – from the non-renewable category of energies (coal, petroleum, and natural gaz) – to the renewable category of energies (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and geothermal energies) – is analyzed in terms of its discovery, extraction, storage, distribution, use, and pros and cons. A strong argument is presented in favor of being proactive by prioritizing energy-efficient technologies in order to fortify the bleak future of energy, as the world’s population is set to double by the end of the century and as each energy source has its strengths and weaknesses. Finally, the book stresses the dilemma that we face: no known single renewable source of energy can yet make up for or effectively replace the fossil fuels that have been making our world turn and upon which every single human being is directly or indirectly dependent.