Tag Archives: conventional energy

Preface to automotive alternative energy

Before jumping into the thick of alternative energy and its role in and impact on the automotive industry, a better understanding of the current state of energy usage and issues must be obtained.

We have all heard, reheard, and overheard the term “alternative energy,” but simply because we are familiar with this term does not mean we fully grasp the meaning or the immense implications of the ideas behind the words.

Alternative energy is any form of energy that does not fall into the realm of conventional energy, or fuel, sources, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear and nuclear-derivative fuels.  Conventional sources are either not renewable resources themselves or come from a non-renewable resource.  Not all forms of alternative energy are renewable, but renewability is a key guideline when assessing alternative energy forms.  Though the definition of conventional fuels seems pretty broad and does indeed encompass a great number of specific fuel sources, the range of possibilities of what alternative energy can be is exponentially larger than that of conventional fuels.

That idea mentioned above of renewable resources is of great importance to the concept of alternative energy.  Though conventional fuels can be powerfully and incredibly efficient, sources such as nuclear energy, none of them can be considered a renewable resource simply because they come from sources on the Earth that have finite amounts.  Although gasoline and other fossil fuels are in some sense renewable because they come from decomposed organic matter (i.e. fossils), we use them at a rate that far outpaces the time it takes for those fossil fuels to appear, so for all intents and purpose, fossil fuels are non-renewable.

Alternative energy is still a relatively new phenomenon, especially when compared to conventional sources of energy.  Industry and the private sector have been using traditional fuel sources for hundreds of years for the simple fact that they work, very well.  Adopting alternative energies on a large scale cannot be done without a great deal of effort and time, not to mention willingness from participants.  For instance, big oil companies make a great deal of profit from consumption of fossil fuels, and these companies are not readily willing to get rid of the systems that make the corporations thrive.  With the political sway these companies possess, government is hard pressed to mandate a dramatic change in energy policy, especially when a perfectly suitable substitute has not yet been obtained.

Certainly, media barrages us with a plethora of exciting new alternative energies, and many of these possible sources look legitimate and promising.  So, if we know that conventional fuels can be used for a limited number of years, though that time-span may indeed be vast, and alternative energies can be the solution to that conundrum, why are we not simply entirely swapping out conventional sources for alternative sources of energy?  The answers are usually relatively simple but variegated.

Nobody has found the “right” sources of energy to replace the conventional sources.  What is meant by the “right” source is a form of energy that can be implemented on a large scale, decrease harm to the environment, is renewable, and is a suitable replacement for conventional fuels.

As an example of this idea, we can simply look at China and a piece of information about its energy use that came about recently.  According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, China now burns almost as much coal as every other country on the planet…combined.  Clearly, coal is of great importance as a fuel source in China, and the world as a whole, so a suitable replacement would need to be able to accommodate all of China’s energy needs and be capable of being implemented without disrupting the flow of China’s society.  That task, under those parameters, as you might guess, is impossible.

However, a solution must be sought, as not only is the amount of conventional fuels on earth finite, they are also, by and large, incredibly harmful to the environment.

To better understand how alternative energy seeks to mend the world’s energy problems, we can llok to the automotive industry.  Alternative energy sources, in some cases, require entirely new methods of creation, transportation, and implementation than conventional sources.  The automotive industry, with its heavy reliance on fossil fuels, is an excellent microcosm of the grander concepts involved in the energy issues facing the earth and its inhabitants.

Making the automotive industry the focal point of this Civic Issues blog provides a more readily comprehensible form of energy issues.  Clearly, we use energy in almost every aspect of our lives, from switching on a light in the morning to pushing the “home” button on an Apple product and lighting up the screen.  Examining each of these aspects of energy use would be an impossible task, but focusing on an outline of the energy issues facing the auto industry manifests themes present throughout the world of conventional and alternative energies.

 

http://science.time.com/2013/01/29/the-scariest-environmental-fact-in-the-world/

http://jalopnik.com/5948969/this-e+fuel-works-just-like-gasoline-but-is-entirely-carbon-neutral

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/news/2690341

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_fuel

http://jalopnik.com/5925225/gop-lawmakers-are-angry-the-navy-is-spending-another-210-million-on-biofuels