1. ENERGY RESOURCES IN THE
FUTURE
Melody Stewart
BIO 30643
Dr. Allen Spaulding
June 21, 2012

2. PLANNING ENERGY FOR 2030
Why do we need to plan ahead for energy ?
• Global supplies of energy-producing material are not
infinite.
• Energy sources are not equal: some contribute to
climate change and air pollution.
• Populations are growing.
• Energy-hungry technologies are growing.
• Our economy is increasingly affected by the
availability of energy supplies.
• Energy abuse destroys ecosystems and alters the
environment.

3. Global supplies of energy-producing material are not infinite.
 Our energy requirements are provided by two
categories of material:
 Renewable sources such as biomass fuels, solar energy,
wind energy, and hydroelectric power. These sources are
considered renewable because the sources do not deplete
with continued use.
 Non-renewable sources such as oil, coal, natural gas, and
nuclear fuel. These sources are considered non-renewable
because with use the supply continues to dwindle and
will eventually disappear.

4. Relative contributions of energy sources to total U.S. energy
consumption in 2006.

5. Where does electricity fit in?
 Electricity is in demand; The National
Academy of Sciences (2008) writes that
“experts predict a 35% increase in
demand for electricity by 2030”
(“Electricity”, para. 2).
 The generation of electricity accounts
for two-fifths of total energy
consumption in the United States and
uses 90 percent of the United States
coal production (National Academy of
Sciences, 2008, “Electricity”, para. 2).
 According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, or EPA (2012), “the
combustion of fossil fuels to generate
electricity is the largest single source of
[carbon dioxide] CO2 emissions in the
nation, accounting for about 40% of
total U.S. CO2 emissions and 33% of
total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in
2009” (para. 3).

6. Energy sources are not equal: some contribute to climate
change and air pollution.
 Oil: Oil propels the world;
liquid fuels, such as gasoline,
are produced from oil.
Transportation accounts for a
major portion of nitrogen
oxide and carbon monoxide
emissions (Wright & Boorse,
2011, p. 487).
 The EPA (2012) writes that
2010 data shows that 84
percent of the levels of the
primary greenhouse gas CO2,
could be accounted for by U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions, By
human activities (para. 1). Source (EPA, 2012).

7. Energy sources are not equal: some contribute to climate
change and air pollution.
• Coal: Coal is plentiful in the United States and is a fairly
inexpensive energy source. Coal is also a major source of
pollutants, and according to the Union of Concerned
Scientists (2012), turning coal into energy produces sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons,
carbon monoxide, small particulate matter, and a slew of
heavy metals, including arsenic, mercury, and lead, as well
as ash and sludge (“A Case Study”, para. 1-10).
 Mines in the United States produced 1.2 billion tons of coal
in 2006 and demand for coal, most of it slated for
production of electricity, is “projected to increase by 30%
between now and 2030” (National Academy of Sciences,
2008, Coal, para. 1-2).

8. Energy sources are not equal: some contribute to
climate change and air pollution.
 Natural Gas: Natural gas is cleaner than coal; releasing “half as much carbon
dioxide, less than a third as much nitrogen oxides, and one percent as much
sulfur oxides at the power plant” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2007, Air
Emissions, para. 2).
 The National Academy of Science (2008) reports that our consumption of
natural gas is “projected to rise from 21.8 trillion cubic feet (TCF) in 2006 to
about 23.4 TCF in 2030” (Natural Gas, para. 1).
 Nuclear: Nuclear fuel produces cleaner energy than other non-renewable
resources, according to the EPA (2012) because they “do not emit carbon
dioxide, sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen oxides” (Nuclear Energy, Air Emissions,
para. 1).
 Currently, nuclear energy provides approximately 20 percent of the United States
electricity demand (EPA, 2012, “Electricity from Nuclear”, para.1). According to the
National Academy of Sciences (2008) the energy derived from nuclear power plants
is “expected to increase only 18% by 2030” (Nuclear Fuel, para. 1).

9. Populations are growing.
 Population increases = Increased energy needs.
 According to the United States Census Bureau’s population
clock (2012) the population of the United States reached
313,800,896 people in the first half of 2012. The United
States Census Bureau (2004) estimates the population of
the United States will reach 363,584,000 people by the year
2030.
 The United States Energy Information Administration, the
EIA (2011) reports that “in 2010, the average annual
electricity consumption for a U.S. residential utility
customer was 11,496 kWh, an average of 958 kilowatt
hours (kWh) per month (“How Much”, para.1).

10. Energy-hungry habits are growing.
Technology Travel
 We are an increasingly
 The advent of the media mobile society. Wright
age with internet, social and Boorse (2011) write
networking, online- “between 1970 and 2007,
the number of vehicle
schooling, cell phones, miles increased from 1
and other technologies trillion to 3 trillion miles
are increasing our use of per year, and between
electricity to power 1980 and 2007, the
these devices. number of vehicles on the
road increased more than
63%” (p. 503).

11. Our economy is increasingly affected by the availability of
energy supplies.
 The availability of oil fuels our vehicles and the price of oil fuels or
stalls a major portion of our economy. The United States has limited
capacity to produce its own oil, peaking at 9.5 million barrels a day
(MBD) produced in 1970 and declining to 5.1 million barrels per day
by 2006 (National Academy of Science, 2008, Oil, para. 1). According
to the National Academy of Science (2008) the United States uses 21
MBD, most of which, up to 70 percent, is purchased from other oil-
producing countries (para. 1-3).
 Worries about the availability of oil, particularly in the face of global
civil unrest have prompted the United States to stockpile a Strategic
Petroleum Reserve. The United States Department of Energy (2012)
reports that the reserve was “established in the aftermath of the 1973-74
oil embargo” and “with a capacity of 727-million-barrels, [the] U.S.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the largest stockpile of government-
owned emergency crude oil in the world (para. 1).

12. How Long Will Our Resources Last?
 Oil: The United States Energy Administration (as cited in National Academy of
Sciences, 2008) estimates world oil reserves at 1.3 trillion barrels, and our
current consumption worldwide at 85 MBD (Oil, para. 1-2). Our reserves give
us roughly enough oil for 15,294 days or almost 42 years; if our consumption
patterns do not increase.
 Coal: The Union of Concerned Scientists (2012) states that “annual coal
production is projected to remain around 1 billion tons into the next century . . .
. [meaning] our coal won’t be depleted for 265 years” (para. 2). However, if our
coal use grows at 2 percent a year, our supplies will be depleted in 93 years,
and if our use grows at 3 percent a year, our supplies will be depleted in 73
years (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2012, “The Future of”, para. 2).
 Natural Gas: The National Academy of Sciences (2008) estimates that “global
consumption of natural gas in 2004 was 100 TCF [and] known reserves of
conventional natural gas total about 6000 TCF . . . . adequate for about 60
years” (Natural Gas, para. 2).
 Nuclear Fuel: According to the Council on Foreign Relations (as cited in
National Academy of Science, 2008) there are enough world uranium supplies
“for about 70 years at current consumption rates and under current policies”
(Nuclear Fuel, para. 2).

13. Energy use and abuse destroys ecosystems and alters
the environment.
• Air pollution
drill • Water and
land pollution
• Air pollution
damage • Water and
land pollution
• Respiratory
illnesses
destroy
• Contaminated
resources

14. Clearly we have to
address the problems of
energy supply and
demand in tandem with
how best to protect and
preserve our environment

15. ENERGY PLAN FOR 2030
Reduce Demand Diversify Supply
 Create and improve  Fund research into new
technologies to be ecologically safe energy
more energy-efficient. supplies
 Educate citizens how
 Plan energy sources to the
to best reduce their
strengths of different
energy requirements
regions
 Mandate new energy
 Reduce reliance on
policies and
strengthen existing imported energy sources
laws such as oil.

16. DIVERSIFYING ENERGY PRODUCTION
Features of
regions should
dictate alternative
energy sources.
Solar where
conditions are
predominantly
sunny.
Wind where nuclear
conditions are
indicated.
Nuclear near
metropolitan areas
to reduce high
levels of
emissions Diversification

17. Individuals Making a Difference
The future of
energy in the
Walk or Consume
United States of bicycle
Eat less
less
America is at risk.
We, the citizens of
this country, cannot
sit idly by and wait
on policies from
the government or Replace
Get
on cooperation recycle light
bulbs
involved
from corporations.
Every day we can
make a choice to be
energy-efficient in
our own homes, in
our neighborhoods,
Energy Vote for the
and in our habits Buy local
star environment
and practices.

18. References
 Environmental Protection Agency. (2007). Natural gas. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-
you/affect/natural-gas.html
 Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Carbon dioxide emissions. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html
 Environmental Protection Agency. (2012). Nuclear energy. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-
and-you/affect/nuclear.html
 National Academy of Sciences (2008). What you need to know about energy. Retrieved from
http://www.nap.edu/reports/energy/supply.html
 Union of Concerned Scientists. (2012). How coal works (briefing). Retrieved from
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/brief_coal.html
 United States Census Bureau. (2004, March 18). Projected population of the United States, by age, and sex: 2000 to
2050. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/usinterimproj/natprojtab02a.pdf
 United States Census Bureau. (2012). U.S. & world population clocks. Retrieved from United States Department of
Commerce at http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
 United States Department of Energy. (2012). United States petroleum reserves. Retrieved from
http://www.fossil.energy.gov/programs/reserves/
 Wright, R. T. & Boorse, D. F. (2011). Environmental science: Towards a sustainable future (11th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.