Science Technology and Society: Energy Crisis PDF

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Energy Crisis From buildings to transport and into homes, humanity had many uses for fossil fuels and their dependence on it is evident to this day. Humanity’s need gravely escalates rapidly to the point that scientists from all over the world could already predict that by 30 years or so, the earth ...

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12.6. Energy Crisis From buildings to transport and into homes, humanity had many uses for fossil fuels and their dependence on it is evident to this day. Humanity’s need gravely escalates rapidly to the point that scientists from all over the world could already predict that by 30 years or so, the earth will run out of these resources. This leaves us with the question, how will we live in a world we cannot sustain? Energy, is defined as the ability to do work. It exists in various forms and can be converted from one form to another (e.g., A vehicle moving is an example of chemical energy being converted into kinetic energy) There are two known classifications of energy sources and they are renewable and nonrenewable that can both be used in generating heat and electricity to our everyday lives. Renewable energy sources, as defined by Rouse (2008), is any energy source that is naturally replenished, like that derived from solar, wind, geothermal or hydroelectric action. Energy produced from the refining of biomass is also often classified as renewable. First among the renewable sources is (1) Solar energy. Although, only recently incorporated in the country despite being geographically located in a region that receives high amounts of sunlight, solar energy is gained through the use of photovoltaic panels and thus, creating direct currents. Next in line is (2) Geothermal energy which makes use of the heat that comes from within the earth. In the Philippines, there are two ways in extracting such energy and they are as follows: A. Flash Steam B. Binary Cycle Another source is (3) Wind energy. Where in energy is generated as wind passes through turbines, therefore transforming kinetic energy into mechanical power. This type of renewable source is known to have smaller impact towards the environment unlike its nonrenewable counterparts. Similar to fossil fuel in terms of undergoing combustion to boil water to produce steam, (4) Biomass energy makes use of natural resources found here in the Philippines such as rice and coconut husks. Lastly, through utilizing the usage of water as a source of energy, (5 ) Hydroelectric powerplants throughout the country are able to harness energy from moving bodies of water using methods such as impoundment and run-of-river whereas the former makes use of dams while the latter relies on the current brought about by flowing bodies of water such as waterfalls in order to harness energy. Both powered with the aid of turbines.

Nonrenewable Energy, on the contrary, are available only for a limited amount in nature and takes a very long period of time to replenish. Examples of these are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Petroleum products Hydrocarbon gas liquids Natural gas Coal Nuclear energy

Imagine yourself stuck in the sea of traffic in EDSA, the number of cars both public and private are definitely more than all your fingers combined –all of which requiring a huge amount of fuel (gasoline) to be consumed in that sea of traffic. Occurs when the need or demand for energy topples the amount present, Energy Crisis is capable of affecting humanity for it greatly affects the way of living of humans on earth. Listed below are some of the factors that contributes to energy crisis. 1. Oil Crisis (Oil-supply demand imbalance) 2. Over-consumption 3. Overpopulation 4. Infrastructure damage from severe weather 5. Aging Infrastructure 6. Political events 7. Attacks of terrorists on important infrastructure The effects of Energy Crisis in the Philippines ranges from economic-based problems (e.g., Oil prices hikes, increase in prices of domestic goods, increase in lending rates, etc.) to problems concerning health and infrastructure –i.e., poor health delivery system resulting to deaths and slow pace of infrastructural development....