You will often read or hear in the news stories about smart grids, energy diversity, green houses gasses or oil imports. These are stories about energy concerns relevant to national interests. You do not hear about the 1.3 billion people who do not have access to electricity,or how delivering power to those who do not will change the world, or from what we should use to produce power for these people. More importantly, we do not hear about how lack of access to electricity prohibits the use of fundamental infrastructure such as lighting, cooling or heating or industrial applications that can create jobs in poor rural areas. Communication is also limited to what can be done without modern tools.
Currently, there are 72 countries that consume less than 100 watts per capita, representing over 3 billion people. Some 400 million live on less than 10 watts of electricity. These statistics come from the CIA and are only averages, so you will see high power consumers that skew the statistics. According to the energy development index by IEA, there are 1.3 billion who in real terms do not have access to electricity. Providing them with as little as 10 watts per person would certainly change the lives of many people. Simple lights when the sun sets can extend the work day and give a viable alternative to fossil fuel light sources. An electric pump can supply a village with enough clean water to improve sanitation and health, help irrigate fields increasing crop yields and make life possible in inhospitable areas. 100 watts can help drive industry, perhaps with a local refrigerated warehouse, a metal work shop or production line.
But every watt also will produce a corresponding amount of pollution. What would the effect on the global climate be if, in effect, 3 billion people suddenly had access to 10 watts, or 100 watts of electricity a year? How would that impact differentiate depending on your choice of power production? Would solar power provide enough power and can it be maintained? What about wind power? How much pollution would be produced by using local coal or oil? How about the effect on our job markets? If the world governments spent money explicitly to bring power to the 1.3 billion people who go without, to build a power infrastructure that included wind, solar and hydro, how many jobs would be created?
Still, I doubt I can consider ourselves advanced as a planet as long as so many people do not have access to a basic energy grid. You can dream of star trek, but you are dreaming about pies in the sky. Humanity's current age of electrification has not yet reached all the corners of the world. The wonder of electricity can be seen as fundamental as writing and mathematics, advanced in small steps in one little corner and slowly spreading out to other cultures. Until it is universally adapted, we shouldn't be so proud of our achievements in technology; an inventor who keeps his toys a secret is never known for his work.
- Servus
Currently, there are 72 countries that consume less than 100 watts per capita, representing over 3 billion people. Some 400 million live on less than 10 watts of electricity. These statistics come from the CIA and are only averages, so you will see high power consumers that skew the statistics. According to the energy development index by IEA, there are 1.3 billion who in real terms do not have access to electricity. Providing them with as little as 10 watts per person would certainly change the lives of many people. Simple lights when the sun sets can extend the work day and give a viable alternative to fossil fuel light sources. An electric pump can supply a village with enough clean water to improve sanitation and health, help irrigate fields increasing crop yields and make life possible in inhospitable areas. 100 watts can help drive industry, perhaps with a local refrigerated warehouse, a metal work shop or production line.
But every watt also will produce a corresponding amount of pollution. What would the effect on the global climate be if, in effect, 3 billion people suddenly had access to 10 watts, or 100 watts of electricity a year? How would that impact differentiate depending on your choice of power production? Would solar power provide enough power and can it be maintained? What about wind power? How much pollution would be produced by using local coal or oil? How about the effect on our job markets? If the world governments spent money explicitly to bring power to the 1.3 billion people who go without, to build a power infrastructure that included wind, solar and hydro, how many jobs would be created?
Still, I doubt I can consider ourselves advanced as a planet as long as so many people do not have access to a basic energy grid. You can dream of star trek, but you are dreaming about pies in the sky. Humanity's current age of electrification has not yet reached all the corners of the world. The wonder of electricity can be seen as fundamental as writing and mathematics, advanced in small steps in one little corner and slowly spreading out to other cultures. Until it is universally adapted, we shouldn't be so proud of our achievements in technology; an inventor who keeps his toys a secret is never known for his work.
- Servus
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