Energy Scientist Recommends Reliance on All Sources

The United States could reach its long-term energy goals by adopting a mix of energy sources (one-third fossil fuel, one-third renewables and one-third nuclear) by 2040 at a cost of more than $60 trillion, according to a report released at the Club Nov. 3.

Jim Conca, a scientist at Eastern New Mexico University, was commissioned by the Department of Energy to provide long-term sustainable solution to U.S. energy challenges.

Conca said the energy dilemma is increased by the magnitude of humanity’s energy needs. He added it requires not a single new source, but a multitude of various sources and applications, all of which must be developed to their full potential in order to attain a sustainable energy production "that will allow our economy to grow without intermittent shortages, security vulnerabilities, extreme costs or environmental catastrophe."

"Unfortunately, the sheer magnitude of humanity’s energy consumption, presently 15 trillion kW-hrs/year growing to well over 30 trillion kW-hrs/year by 2040, is limiting our diversity and increasing our reliance even more on fossil fuels," Conca said. "Unless renewables and nuclear capture over two-thirds of this energy production, global environmental and economic insults will continue to grow."

And because most of this accelerating growth in energy consumption is occurring in developing countries, changes within the United States will have little effect, according the Conca's study.

Conca said the cost of implementing the strategy is high, but the long term costs of not managing energy in a sustainable, rational way will be much higher. He said the "one-third, one-third, one-third mix" requires committed leadership globally, with an understanding that failure will "result in developed nations losing their high standards of living and developing nations losing the opportunity to achieve such standards, while the planetary ecosystem teeters on the brink of collapse."

-- Frank Maisano, [email protected]