World oil production series, part two: Alternatives to fuel energy desperately needed

Alternative energies have been getting increased attention in the news after a nearly 30-year hiatus. This sudden interest is the result of rising prices for conventional energy sources like oil and natural gas. We like to think of oil as unlimited, but the truth is that we may be reaching the upper limits of production capacity for the resource. Our ability to pump it out of the ground will then diminish, making renewable energies necessary.

At the moment, the state of alternative energy in the U.S. is dismal. Our hydroelectric capacity is at its upper limits, as there are very few rivers left to dam. Wind and solar power account for a meager one half of one percent of our total energy needs. Although major advances have been made in these industries in recent years, there are still significant hurdles to overcome.

The biggest of these problems is the lack of an efficient way to store the electricity for future use.

Another problem facing the industries is their relatively small size. There is no conceivable way to develop a renewable energy infrastructure that could make an impact without substantial governmental impetus. It simply isn't profitable for a company to spend billions on research and development for a technology that may not come to market for years.

The financial commitment required to make a difference here is not at all trivial, and governments don't have a sparkling track record in preparing for the future if there is no short-term gain.

This is troublesome considering that viable energy alternatives are still in their nascent stages. It would be necessary to divert at least half of the $400 billion spent annually on weaponry to renewable energies. The longer we wait to invest in alternatives, the more difficult it will be. Bush's tax cuts and reckless spending have made a fragile situation much worse. We need to invest in alternative energies now while we still have time.

There has been quite a ballyhoo about hydrogen cars, and their promise for the future. People envision a day when all cars will be powered by liquid hydrogen. The combustion of hydrogen does not produce carbon dioxide, a key benefit of the technology.

While zero carbon dioxide emissions are hardly a minor detail when considering the threat of global warming, the costs of creating hydrogen fuel clearly outweigh the benefits. The problem with hydrogen is that it isn't a source of energy.

Electricity is required to isolate hydrogen atoms from oxygen atoms in water, and then compress them at a very low temperature. The best way to manufacture hydrogen is from electricity generated by natural gas. Natural gas suffers from the same shortage problems as does oil, and using it as a way to create a fuel for mass transit would hasten its rate of depletion.

We need to wake up and recognize the seriousness of the energy problems that we now face. This isn't simply one of a whole litany of issues, it is the problem that will define our age. How we choose to deal with it will certainly determine the fate of the industrial societies, and quite possibly the fate of the entire world.

This article is the second in a four-part series on oil by Sterling Harris, a history major at CSULB.