Regenerative Resources
Whereas
the fun part of the reception weekend included a picnic in the park of Erlangen,
a visit of the famous "Bergkirchweih" and some sightseeing in the old city of
Nuremberg, in the Sustainable Development part, the participants learned more
about regenerative resources and the general problem of energy supply. To this
regard we visited the information and exhibition centre for solar energy "solid"
in Fürth. During a video presentation, an employee of "solid" explained the
different kinds of regenerative resources - with a special emphasis on solar
energy: photo voltaic and solar thermy. In the following discussion the delegates
had the opportunity to talk about the various kinds of alternative energies
and their chances in the future - with respect to their home country or region.
The necessity to change the energy mix was generally accepted and it was agreed
on a very bright outlook for regenerative resources. In the end the different
types of solar collectors that were installed on the roof of the house were
shown to the participants and even the "solarmobil" - a mixture of a solar car
and a bike - was demonstrated.
A brief overview of the topic:
Regenerative Resources - the alternative !?! Fossil fuels currently meet about
85% of the world's energy needs. There are no alternatives available now that
are cheap enough to fully replace conventional fuels. There is a great challenge
for the energy industry to develop alternative energy options that are both
economic and environmentally acceptable. Gas is likely to be in high demand
over the next few decades because it is abundant, can be converted efficiently
into electricity, is relatively cheap to find and transport, and emits far less
CO2 and other pollutants than competing fossil fuels. The 'energy transition'
is beginning; our longer- term energy scenarios show that the 21st century will
see an increasingly diverse energy market where a wide range of energy solutions
is made available.
The move towards fuels with less carbon - decarbonisation - will mean that companies
may need to reduce its interests in some areas and increase its focus on others.
An energy portfolio naturally reflects the desires of the market and available
technological options. In the shorter term, energy production needs to remain
competitive in the hydrocarbon business and meet the growing demands of the
market for cheap and sustainable energy products and services, while growing
its start-up businesses in photovoltaic, biomass, wind, and hydrogen.
One of the key drivers for developing renewable sources of energy is the desire
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in energy production by gradually replacing
fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. Renewable sources emit much less carbon
dioxide than conventional fuels per unit of energy produced.
Many believe they could become a low cost source of sustainable energy in the
longer term. Success depends on finding enough commercially viable projects.
This can be difficult because of the comparatively high cost of harnessing renewable
energy sources. A labelling system to certify energy generated in this way could
go some way to improve the viability of certain renewable energy projects.
Tobias Regner
Team "AIESEC meets EXPO 2000"