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ENERGY ALTERNATIVES
Even if we use the enormous potential for saving energy unnecessarily
spent, we need to intensify in parallel the development of energy pro-
duction technologies as an alternative to fossil energy. The generation
of nuclear energy does not emit CO
2
in the energy generation process
(but during uranium mining, transport and waste storage). It has there-
fore gained many advocates recently in the debate around CO
2
reductions
and responses to growing energy demands. Nuclear energy is based on
uranium as raw material input. Uranium reserves are estimated to last
no longer than oil, and thus nuclear energy can only offer an intermedi-
ate solution as an alternative energy provider. Nuclear energy supporters
downplay the enormous risks associated to an operating nuclear power
plant. But because of those and the unresolved problem of storing in-
creasing amounts of radioactive wastes resulting from nuclear fission, the
development of new nuclear powerplants is in many countries all but well
accepted among citizens.
The International Energy Agency, keen to promote the use of the most abun-
dant energy source of all, the sun, has started a Solar Heating and Cooling
Programme (
www.iea-shc.org/solarenergy). Solar thermal energy is appro-
priate for both uses. Key applications for solar technologies are those that
require low temperature heat, such as domestic water heating, space heat-
ing, pool heating, drying processes, and some industrial processes. Solar
cooling works where the supply of sunny summer days is well matched with
the demand – the desire for coolness indoors. The Agency says the main
barriers preventing the greater use of solar energy are cost, the way current
government policies benefit non-solar technologies, and the failure to take
into account the environmental costs of using fossil fuels. Its programme
is working to educate users and decision makers, expand the solar thermal
market, and carry out research, development and testing of hardware, ma-
terials and designs.