• Question: What are your opinions on the use of energy around the world?

    Asked by 08hathwayr to Andrew, Daniel, Hayley, Natalia, Peta on 16 Nov 2011.
    • Photo: Daniel Scully

      Daniel Scully answered on 16 Nov 2011:

      The world’s population is growing fast, and eventually everyone’s going to want high-tech devices and cars to travel around in. Trying to stop that is futile so we need to make the devices more energy efficient and generate the energy we do use in as clean a way as possible.

      For example, it shouldn’t be your job to go around and turn all your devices off stand by, the device shouldn’t be using that much energy on stand by in the first place!

      When it comes to generating energy, wind, solar, tidal and wave are all good sources… but the truth is they will never supply enough to meet the world’s needs.
      Nuclear Fusion is our best hope for clean energy, but even if we can develop it it’s several decades away from being a useful power source.
      We will probably need another generation of Nuclear Fission power stations until then – which isn’t as dangerous as people think and doesn’t produce high amounts of greenhouse gasses.

    • Photo: Hayley Smith

      Hayley Smith answered on 16 Nov 2011:

      I can only see the demand for energy rising worldwide. And as like Daniel says, I think this production of this energy needs to become more efficient. Nuclear Fusion could hold the key to our energy problems, whether this is laser ignited fusion (like what Peta has talked about in other questions) or magnetic confinement fusion, we are still to see which technique will triumph. Other technological advances could be the use of accelerator driven sub-critical reactors, these provide a means to do nuclear fission reactions to create power but in more of a controlled way or “sub-critically” with the entire process driven by a particle accelerator – I think this is a great idea (but I would say that as I’m biased as an accelerator physicist…).

      On the other hand though, I do feel more could be done to stop wasting energy now. Plans are good for the future, but we do have to take some responsibility now. Also, on a personal note, my one energy saving lightbulb in my lounge is just fine – the 10 (yes 10!) conventional bulbs my landlord won’t let me take out are ridiculous, so especially in this age of expensive energy bills I’d much rather use my little lamp than fork out and waste the energy…

    • Photo: Andrew Cairns

      Andrew Cairns answered on 16 Nov 2011:

      An interesting point on energy saving lightbulbs is that it is actually wasting more energy to replace them before they blow than to wait. So Hayley, despite the higher electricity bills it is better for the environment to wait!

      Unfortunately I also agree on the point of nuclear energy, although the development of safe technologies has been put behind where it should be because of public safety worries. If the accidents in Japan have to teach us anything is that we shouldn’t be getting rid of nuclear energy, but we must make it as safe and secure as possible.

      Huge emerging industries in China, India, and South America require a huge amount of oil as ‘new’ economies, meaning we must reduce our consumption. Furthermore oil may always be required for Jet Engines and for making certain products, like nylon and some pharmaceuticals. Where there are alternatives to make electricity, there are as yet no alternatives to make these things.

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