The future of energy: An introduction

This is the first in a four-part series by Colin Tetreault on energy and its effects on the business world. Tetreault holds a Master of Arts from Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability and is a sustainability consultant and expert to numerous organizations.

Energy. It’s the singular force that helps keep our lives running smoothly. It brings cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Energy powers our cars for a vacation road trip and  helps to run the computers searching for a cure to cancer. I often justify that extra piece of pizza as “more energy” for my next exercise endeavor. Indeed, energy is the driving force behind keeping the entire Earth moving in a positive direction.

Taken in part from a course I co-teach at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability with the former president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister, this series will help you dig into energy supply, technology for efficiency, environmental protection, and infrastructure. We will discuss some truths behind energy and topics that you can investigate in your local region. This is a big subject to discuss in just a few posts, so if you have additional questions, feel free to contact me.

Let’s start with the framing and context for energy in the United States.

Trivia question: How many decision makers are involved in setting energy policy, regulating development and infrastructure, controlling market opportunities, and setting the general tone for U.S. energy? Hint: it is more than just the secretary of energy.

Answer: Nearly 1,000 separate individuals, including the president, Congress, about a dozen Congressional committees, 874 federal judges, 50 Governors, state corporation/utility commissions, county leaders, and individual city leadership. That’s a lot of cooks in the proverbial kitchen. That doesn’t include the innumerable businesses attempting to operate and lobby in this space.

Here is a brief primer on the mechanics of energy supply:

1. Photons pay the bills. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It simply transforms.
2. We live in a closed material system, but an open energy system (sunlight comes in, but nothing leaves).
3. We have a lot of options on how we harness and use our energy supplies.
4. All energy sources, at present, have tradeoffs associated with their use.
5. Depending how you want to cut it, there are 10 sources of energy – 5 traditional (coal, oil, gas, nuclear and hydropower) and 5 alternative (biofuels, wind, solar, geothermal and hydrogen, which is technically a carrier, but we’ll include it for now).

In order  to dig into your own local stories, you must first understand where we get our energy from. Check out the Energy Information Administration to drill down on sources of energy supply by state. Compare the amount of traditional energy production to that of alternative production. Now put that next to a list of projected population growth by  state.

Here is a hard truth: Population is increasing and our associated energy demand, overall and per capita, is also increasing. Can alternative energy supply, at its current rate of development and implementation, keep up with the growth in your area?

There is opportunity for alternative energy supplies to grow at a rapid rate and help us transition from a carbon-based energy system. However, there are constraints to our current system. If fundamental issues on a local, regional, state, and national level are addressed, serious progress towards a more sustainable energy future could follow.

Here are some questions to consider:

• Where do your state and regional energy supplies come from? What is the current mix of energy supply?
• How much energy is your area currently using? Given the rate of population growth in the region, how much more energy is your area anticipated to need?
• What businesses are utilizing unique public/private partnership in order to advance energy supply in innovative ways?

Energy supply is only one piece of the energy puzzle. Increasing the available supply of various energy sources alone does not solve the myriad of issues. The next post will discuss energy efficiency and the role it plays in ushering in a more sustainable energy future.

I recommend some of the following sources for continued learning on aspects of energy supply and setting. These should help give you a holistic perspective on the collective energy supply and future.

General energy readings:

• National Petroleum Council: Facing the Hard Truths - Advisory council to the secretary of energy.
• National Academy of Sciences: What You Need to Know About Energy - A good overview of energy basics.
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Outlook 2011 - What our energy future may hold.

Supplies:

• MIT Natural Gas Report - A timely report, as natural gas is becoming more and more prominent in our future…heard of fracking?
• National Academy of Sciences: Liquid Transportation Fuels - Are there alternatives to gasoline made from petroleum? Can coal or biofuels be a supply source?