Energy for the Future

By Jonathan Sampson

Abstract

Every city on earth needs a successful energy sector in order to fully develop and run in a way that meets its inhabitants’ needs. History shows that regions that have had long periods of industrialization during their growth are some of the most developed in the world. This is mainly due to their large amounts of energy consumption. However, as more of the world’s population moves into cities, it becomes apparent that these places still require great amounts of energy. This presents a problem for nations that are developing much later. Because the availability of traditional, reliable non-renewable energy is quickly shrinking, and carbon emissions caused by this type of energy use continue to harm the global environment, policymakers worldwide must ensure that their constituents have enough resources to develop successfully. ¹ However, they must also maintain a close eye on how this affects sustainability in energy consumption.

In order for more cities to develop, reliable energy must be made available. However, the current major sources of energy found in fossil fuels are being depleted quickly, and are notorious for their detrimental effects on air quality and the global environment. This changes the entire focus of those who create energy policy for much of the world’s development. Now, the priority moves towards using more sustainable energy practices that successfully satisfy the country’s demand for energy. These policies that largely involve the use and implementation of advanced technology will come chiefly from areas involving increased renewable energy production and use, more effective energy storage technology, energy conservation, and equitable energy access. ² All of these solutions can help contribute to our goal of a 100% renewable energy scene by 2050.

Solutions

Renewable Energy Consumption

Renewable energy is the focus of many quickly growing cities, as well as those that are already far along in development. This type of energy is a product of natural processes. However, it is not based in carbon sources, or exhausted as it is used. This means there is no way to increase the rate at which energy is produced. Although this boundary in the realm of natural resource production does exist, shifting to renewable energy reduces the amount of harmful pollutants that are perpetuated in the environment. While renewables are a much better choice regarding sustainability, they are not as reliable, consistent in extraction, or cheap as those which are predominantly employed in today’s cities. If renewable energy, however, can become more enticing to policymakers through technology, a 100% renewable energy scene by 2050 is a manageable goal. More information on renewable energy production can be found here.

Hydropower

One major inexhaustible resource that will be leaned on in future plans for delegating energy is water. It is imperative that extensive research is being done in hydroelectricity in order to harness more reliable, usable energy from bodies of water. Hydropower comprises a very stable portion of the total energy produced by International Energy Agency (IEA) member countries. Much of the policy regarding hydropower goes into seeking better technology and more efficiency for hydropower plants in cities, because this form of renewable energy is relatively mature. ³ Governments can and have encouraged greater reliance on hydropower by granting tax incentives to companies that employ and take advantage of clean hydroelectricity. Also, city leaders can communicate effectively with the public through surveys and receive feedback from them. One of many public critiques comes in the topic of hydropower plant size. People are more likely to support a smaller plant, as there is a lower tax cost for plant maintenance, and these plants can produce competitive amounts of hydropower while maintaining durability.

Although hydropower is a very reliable source of renewable energy, it has a variety of environmental and practical drawbacks that prevent it from being widely implemented. Hydropower is completely natural and safe in that it avoids harmful carbon pollution and comes from bodies of water, but harnessing that power can severely disrupt ecosystems. The quickly fluctuating water levels that come with draining are detrimental to aquatic populations, displacing entire populations of fish. ⁴ Hydroelectric plants also can be a waste of resources if changes in climate remove water supply from an area. Unforeseen droughts can ruin the intention of hydropower plants, and render them useless.

Geothermal and Wind Energy

Geothermal and wind energy are two of the renewable energy sources that are limited by location and environmental patterns. This is where the main argument for the unreliability of renewable energy enters. However, they still present a great opportunity for those nations with environmental factors that foster this type of energy use, such as volcanic activity, and hot water underground. These areas can gauge how much energy they can consistently harbor from these more sporadic sources and tap into them, leaving countries that may not have the right weather patterns to use more stable renewable energy sources. This will require policy to be agreed upon with national leaders, and then relayed to local authorities in order for these solutions to be implemented. Geothermal and wind energy are both relatively unsophisticated areas of energy use. In order to increase their reliability, governments must continue to fund initiatives that explore the limits of these types of energy.

Solar Energy

Solar power represents one of the more widespread and tested uses of renewable energy. Implementation of solar panels and other solar initiatives can be seen all over the world, as cities harness the unabated heat and light offered by the sun. Solar power usage is growing at a rate of over 30% by member nations of the IEA, and that is largely due to increased government support of this specific renewable technology. Tax incentives are a large part of solar power’s exponentially growing popularity, and companies are comfortable using this energy source because of its practical implementation. Cities are even beginning to increase funding into solar power initiatives to develop new technologies that allow for the metering of solar energy data. This can provide accurate, real-time figures to local governments, and allow them to see what areas of the city have a surplus of stored solar energy, and also those that may need a little help. This fosters a move from potentially wasted energy in a lump-sum delegation into a more dynamic delegation across cities. A lump-sum delegation is a one-time division of energy, among different sectors of a city. Dynamic delegation, on the other hand looks at trends in usage of energy in these different sectors and can be adjusted in response to this data.

Similar in concept, but slightly different in detail is the Solstice program, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts. ⁵ This is a program that allows for households across the United States to purchase solar energy from centralized “solar gardens.” This will allow anyone in the country to have access to renewable solar energy without having to harness it for themselves. The program is funded majorly by the U.S. Department of Energy, and has all of its current solar gardens in the northeastern part of the United States. ⁶ This type of energy sharing is revolutionary for solar power, and even has opportunities for implementation elsewhere.

Energy Conservation

Buildings and Transportation

 The energy used by buildings and city transportation systems represents the highest portion of energy usage in middle income cities. While this sounds like a nightmare for sustainability, and all signs point to cutting energy consumed by these sectors, drastic changes to the energy used by transportation can cause great harm to a city. Major policy efforts must be geared equally towards balancing the consumption of renewable energy in these sectors and overall economic growth. While public transportation has almost a constant energy consumption value, individual passenger cars actually make up the bulk of energy consumption associated with transportation. A switch to electric cars, aided by lower taxes on these vehicles, can spark a change in the amount of energy that is sucked up by independent passenger vehicles. The energy used by buildings, however, can balloon to up to six times that used by city transportation. Cities have chosen to fight this by using “Lead-By-Example” initiatives, in which public government buildings are among the most energy efficient in a city. ⁷ Alabama, and California, for example, have both established regulation for the amount of energy that can be used in the buildings that they own. California, specifically has also pushed for energy efficient vehicle fleets. The city and state governments will then provide incentives for other buildings that follow suit. Financial subsidy is among the most common of these incentives. ⁸ Also, promoting the use of sustainable, resilient building materials through is another way that city governments urge buildings within their borders to become more energy efficient and environment-friendly. Particularly, upgrading the buildings with more efficient utilities can save money, as shown by the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2010 “Retrofit Ramp-Up”. ⁹ This program saved businesses around $100 million in utility payments nationwide that year, and is designed for these savings to pay for themselves.

Energy Storage and Access

One of the major areas of energy policy that will increase reliance on renewable energy is energy storage. This allows for reservoirs of energy to exist while the city uses renewable sources. This represents a way to ensure that there will never be a shortage of energy to a city, despite the unreliable nature of renewable sources such as solar and wind energy. One major area of improvement for energy storage practices is cost-effectiveness. Because it is a relatively new area for discovery, governments are unsure of just how well this will work, and if it is worth the money they are pouring into research. Governments should for compensation for services that can be characterized under energy storage, and they must also regulate the storage and generation systems across different areas of a city. ¹⁰ A more in depth look at energy storage technology can be found here, in the article on The Importance of Energy Storage.This will ensure that no city region gets a greater amount, or a higher quality of energy than another.This points to the importance of fair and equitable energy access in a given city. ¹¹ More information on the importance of equitable access to energy is available here. Decentralization of power plants can help with this. Instead of a few really large power plants in a city, multiple smaller plants will make it easier for a given area of a city to receive the energy it needs. This way, less energy is lost during transmission, and constituents are able to get power in less time.

Conclusion

Much of the energy policy that is currently focused on simply involves the government spending a little more money in research areas. However, incentivization of clean energy can only come from a place where this is of very great importance. City officials must continue to consider the environment when looking towards development, and give increasing weight to the signs of a depleting environment. In our opinion, better energy storage technology is a solution that every city can rely on, no matter the location. Not every city can take advantage of certain renewable energy technologies, such as wind or geothermal, because of their environments. However, being able to store energy in different areas of a city is of great importance. Having a storage grid that places energy within a reasonable distance from any given member of a city is how the world can achieve equitable access to energy for all.

Without a doubt, renewable energy is the way that we should proceed. It does not emit harmful pollutants, and it is energy that we can extract without drastically affecting the environmental scene. Certain energy types, such as geothermal and wind, are great sources of renewable energy, but they are not effective in all cities. Hydropower is a very solid source of energy, but it’s environmental effects can be devastating to animal populations, and power producing bodies of water do not exist in close enough proximity to many residents of cities. We believe that solar power, while relatively expensive, is best path forward in for cities as the world moves towards renewable energy. Combining solar power with effective municipal energy storage systems and more conscious energy efficiency worldwide is how the world will solve the problem of equitable development and consumption. The answer for energy in the future is better technology and greater efficiency; not more energy production.