Coming soon: a world of electricity haves and have nots
January 17th, 2008 by Jim JustTom Whipple in an article in the Falls Church News-Press reminds us that we in the U.S. take electricity for granted. We forget that just a few decades ago it wasn’t universally available.
But now in many parts of the world the electric grids are shutting down for long periods each day. In a few places the electricity is now off most of the time. Some of this is due to droughts which have reduced the hydroelectric generating capacity in many parts of the world. Some is due to the price of oil which has simply become too expensive to use in thermoelectric generating stations and in a few places the electricity is out or has been greatly reduced because of civil strife.
The consequences range from minor inconveniences to cities where the economy is close to shutting down. Thus far the developed countries have largely avoided problems due to better electrical infrastructures, domestic fuel supplies, or the ability to pay whatever it costs to obtain the necessary fuel. In effect, the rich have outbid the poor who are now suffering the consequences.
Whipple asks, are these shortages temporary or is the age of electricity, the way it is currently being generated, over for much of the world? The future of the droughts which are reducing much of the world’s food production as well as hydroelectric production is unknowable. We do know that mountain glaciers are disappearing rapidly. To the extent that melt water contributes to hydroelectric potential, particularly in China and the subcontinent, this resource for generating hydroelectricity will diminish steadily in coming years.
Electricity generated by oil and natural gas does not have a future, as supplies of these fuels will soon peak if they haven’t already. Burning coal would seal the Earth’s fate.
At the root of the electricity problem is the growth of the world’s population and economy. Sadly, we may soon see a world divided into countries that have general access to electricity and those who don’t.