Alternative Renewable Energy – An International Approach
In general, expert consultants on alternative renewable energy usually predict that the process of changing our society from a fossil fuel based to an alternative renewable energy based system will be difficult. A vast amount of new technologies need to be developed and new infrastructure needs to be build. In Germany, 10% of the societal energy needs is generated by wind turbines and solar arrays. All over the world companies are being started within the field of alternative renewable energy. Governments support this development with tax incentives, loans and direct investments. As the current fossil fuel resources are depleting much faster than expected we need to accelerate the development of all alternative energy sources as quickly as possible.
Our current energy crisis and the environmental problems that come with it are not just a national problem. We need to cooperate at a global level if we want to find a global solution. Oil and gas consumption causes tremendous health and environmental problems. Furthermore, prices for oil are on the rise and experts predict that we only have about 30 years of affordable resources left. 20 years after that we need to be 90% fossil fuel independent. However, in spite of these numbers, oil consumption is on the rise and it is growing even faster than during the 1970s.
The rise of oil and gas prices has a stimulating effect on our economy. As long as the big oil companies produce profits for their shareholders and Wall street, as long as they provide employment for hundreds of thousands of people, change will be difficult. In turn, alternative energy has to become more competitive and offer other options to the labour market and to investors. Currently, the economic resistance against necessary change is strong. Therefore, many critics argue, that governmental policies are needed to enforce the necessary changes.
To enable a fast transition from non-renewable to alternative renewable energy sources it is very important that the leading industrialized nations take the lead. They are currently consuming the largest portion of fossil fuel resources and therefore their change would make the biggest difference. Less developed nations might find the transition process more difficult and time-consuming. It is time to make the change from black to green energy.
