Peter Huber gave a remarkable presentation on the nature of energy resources and energy consumption. He basically states that increases in energy efficiency engender higher energy consumption, as an example he describes the difference in computing power and energy efficiency between the ENIAC in the 1940's with Sony's PlayStation 2. The PS2 is far more powerful and uses a fraction of the energy, but the aggregate usage for the PS2 is much higher worldwide today than the former had consumed. He submits that the only way to curb consumption is to decrease energy efficiency and that is simply not going to happen. He also mentioned that we can extract oil from vast reserves of 'sludgy' deposits for around $20 per barrel.
However his main focus is on electricity which is far more efficient than oil/gas combustion and is the energy source of today and the future. Our national energy policy will embrace electricity creation and distribution. (Hybrid cars are in our future too not because they are efficient but because the motors are more economical to produce, the vast majority of trips is under 5 miles - which is perfectly suited to battery storage capacity and recharging opportunity.)
For those who protest that we will be running out of energy sources, Huber offers rational evidence that refutes that intuitive notion. He also offers that our high energy consumption yields great results for humanity - from medicine and technology to security.
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