The Making of the New Energy World Order

By `Lanre Okanlawon

At the fore front of the renewable energy technology development are committed men and women who are relentlessly seeking for the possibility of a world with an infinite, sustainable and ultimate energy solution to the pertinent energy crisis faced by mankind. In this clearly emerging new world order, the outcomes of several researches and technological developments all point to one obvious fact- that renewable energy is here to stay because it is safe, environmental friendly, feasible and worth investing in.

After spending over £1 billion in financing clean and sustainable energy technologies in the past 3 years, the UK government still sees the need to inject another £100 billion described as a “surge of investment in new energy sources” in the final version of the UK government’s Energy National Policy Statement published yesterday ahead of the much anticipated energy debate at the parliament. This is not because the governments of the 8 major economies of the world are pro-renewable energy. It is simply because the whole world has realized that we cannot continue to generate energy in the conventional manner (the business as usual approach) if we intend to tackle the present issues associated with energy supply, demand, pricing and, most importantly, energy security. The need for secure, low carbon and cost effective energy sources cannot be over emphasized at the moment.

Since the early 90s when the energy revolution actively “re-started”, the cost of renewable energy systems have been reducing as extensive research and development have contributed to increasing the efficiency and performances of different green energy technologies particularly solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, tidal and wave energy systems. The gospel of this new energy order has also been spreading like wild fire to the corners of the earth. All of this has been made very possible by scientists, engineers, investors, politicians, environmental activists and energy enthusiasts like you and I who understand the key role energy security and sustainability will play in the rest of the 21st century.

I really can’t describe the progress being made so far better than the International Energy Outlook 2010 which stated that renewable energy has the highest development indices in terms of electricity generation. It also states that the global energy generation from all sources will increase by 2.3% per year from 2007 to 2035 (the highest rate ever). These statistics indicate that renewable energy is significantly contributing to meeting the ever increasing global demand for energy. It is a common knowledge that the demand for oil will be surpassing the capacity for oil producing countries to supply oil resources on a long term basis. This simply means that the world is consuming oil quicker than it is producing. Since 1970, every global recession recorded has been characterized by dramatic increases in the prices of oil. This is should be a source of concern.

At present, it is quite hard to overstate the need for more hands on deck to spur the realization of a global sustainable and affordable energy system. As the story of the making of a new energy world unfolds, we can be sure that the solution to the world’s pertinent energy crisis rests our ability to emerge with efficient, secure and affordable energy resources to compete with oil.

Let’s bring it on!

Energy... Be the Difference!!!

By `Lanre Okanlawon


Loyal readers, it has been a full month since any update on this blog. My overloaded schedule is to blame and the fact that I have been spending a large amount of my time off the internet.

Last weekend, I thought to myself, “There’s so much fuss about the need for people to use energy considerably and “wisely”. But the truth is that most people are not bothered especially because they don’t realize the consequences of their actions when they use energy irrationally.

Our everyday activities often consist of the use of every appliance around us without considering the possibilities of any adverse effects on the national energy supply and demand system. Right from the minute you wake up in the morning, a lot of energy is used. Your typical morning routine is probably similar to this; wake up with the air conditioner (or heater) on, turn on the TV to listen to some morning news or cool music, do some laundry, grab some breakfast from the refrigerator, heat some water for tea, make sure your mobile phones are fully charged and check your email before heading off to start your day.

Have you ever wondered about the impact of your appliances on the country’s energy needs? For example, the number of refrigerators in America is estimated at 152 million units. An average refrigerator consumes 0.14kWh per hour. Following this, the total power consumption of American refrigerators is about 21,280,000kWh. Interestingly, the amount of energy these refrigerators consume is more than the same amount that could power more than 22,000 households in one month.

A universally established unexploited solution to the current issues of energy security, fossil fuel diminution, climate change and environmental pollution is making residential homes, offices, factories and our different means of transportation more energy efficient. Recent energy-efficient appliances such as refrigerators, laundry machines, fridges, ovens, kitchen cookers and dishwashers utilize notably less energy than older electronic appliances. Modern energy efficient refrigerators, for example, use 40 percent less power than conventional models did in 2001. As a result of this, if all households in Europe changed their more than ten year old appliances into new ones, 20 billion kWh of electricity would be saved annually, hence reducing CO₂ emissions by almost 18 billion kg. The impact of energy efficiency on peak demand depends on when the appliance is used. For example, an air conditioner uses more energy during the afternoon when it is hot. Therefore, an energy efficient air conditioner will have a larger impact on peak demand than off-peak demand. An energy efficient dishwasher, on the other hand, uses more energy during the late evening when people do their dishes. This appliance may have little to no impact on peak demand.

The gospel of energy efficiency goes beyond creating a justification for people to reduce the burden on existing power generation facilities and energy sources at any given time. It is actually more of a campaign for a responsible cultural paradigm shift towards reducing the amount of energy needed to meet our everyday power needs. Efficient (consequently cheaper) and responsible daily energy use invariably translates to more rapid economic growth and development. We all want to see positive changes and experience better living conditions. This is not impossible, let the positive change start with you and spread this gospel. I’m doing exactly the same thing!