Physics and Society Education.

Energy topics

The "energy--pipe" diagrams are among the best ways to describe the input and output of energy of different countries and the world. The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory has excellent and detailed charts for the United States. Their Energy, Carbon Emissions and Water Flow Charts show the sources and end uses of the various forms of energy used annually in the United States, as well as information on carbon emissions and the flow of ground and surface water in various states. There is also a link to a very informative, extended report on energy use.


Science 305, 957-976, 13 August 2004, Special Issue: Toward a Hydrogen Economy. Much more than the name implies, especially in "Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies," by S. Pacala and R. Socolow. This is a very important article that shows a number of options that will make it possible to stabilize greenhouse emission for the next half-century, although not without cost. It is available at the website of the Carbon Mitigation Initiative of Princeton University. Other articles in this issue are "Hybrid Cars Now, Fuel Cells Later", "The Hydrogen Backlash", "The Carbon Conundrum", "Fire and ICE: Revving up for H2", "Will the Future Dawn in the North?", and "Sustainable Hydrogen Production." Must reading. Here is a review.


A recent talk, novel and very interesting, was that by Ernst Bucher, long a professor at the University of Konstanz in Germany, and known especially for his research on photovoltaic cells. It was billed as a status report on solar energy, but dealt with its subject broadly, including, for example, wind and biomass energy, with information and statistics not easily available elsewhere. I was happy to receive a copy of Professor Bucher's notes and figures, with his permission to include them here.

I suggest that you start by looking at the conclusions on page 12, which will show you the point of view. It is fascinating to read that "there is no energy shortage", and that alternatives to fossil fuels are sufficiently available and abundant to take care of our needs even without fission energy. (But not without cost!)

It is Bucher's projection that perhaps half of our energy needs will eventually be met by decentralized units. He emphasizes the need for political decisions, and recommends that the academic community take on a more active and responsible role. You will be cheered to know that the resulting independence from imports will help to avoid the international conflicts, and wars, that seem to us today to be almost inevitable.