What Is The Main Way We Get Energy?

Fossil Fuels – Our Primary Source

Fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal currently make up the majority of global energy use. Despite advances in renewable energy, fossil fuels still provide over 80% of the world’s energy needs. The three main fossil fuels are:

Oil – A liquid fuel refined into gasoline, diesel, and many other products. Used mainly for transportation and in industry.

Natural Gas – A gas used for electricity generation, heating, cooking, and industrial processes.

Coal – A solid fuel burned mainly for electricity generation and industrial use.

The ubiquity of fossil fuels is due to their high energy density, established infrastructure, and historically low costs. However, burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide emissions that contribute significantly to climate change. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels can also cause environmental damage. There are growing efforts to transition to cleaner renewable energy sources that have less impact on the planet.

Renewables – A Growing Share

Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro currently provide around 10% of global energy consumption. However, renewables are the world’s fastest growing energy source. In the past decade, the expansion of solar and wind power in particular have enabled renewables to increase their share in the worldwide energy mix.

Renewables are considered “green” energy sources that produce little to no greenhouse gas emissions. As countries aim to transition away from fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas in order to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change, renewables are positioned to play a major role as alternatives. Government incentives, technological improvements and falling costs have made solar and wind competitive with conventional power generation in many markets. With renewables adoption accelerating globally each year, their share of energy production is projected to continue rising steadily.

Nuclear – Controversial but Significant

Nuclear power plants provide around 10% of the world’s electricity. Nuclear fission generates power through a controlled chain reaction that splits uranium atoms. This process heats water to create steam that spins turbines to generate electricity.

Nuclear energy has the advantage of producing large amounts of low carbon electricity. However, concerns remain over nuclear waste disposal and the potential for severe accidents. High profile disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima have turned public opinion against nuclear power in some countries.

Proponents argue nuclear is a safe and reliable energy source that can provide steady baseline power to supplement intermittent renewables. Opponents counter that the risks are too high and investments should focus on renewable energy instead. Despite the debate, nuclear continues to be a significant electricity source due to its stability, small land footprint, and lack of direct emissions.

Biomass – Traditional Fuel

Biomass from sources like wood, crops, and organic waste provides approximately 10% of the world’s total primary energy supply. While it accounts for a relatively small portion of global energy production, biomass serves an important role in meeting basic heating and cooking needs, especially in developing regions.

The traditional use of biomass dates back millennia, with the burning of wood providing warmth and enabling the cooking of food. In fact, biomass remains the primary source of energy for many people, particularly in rural and remote areas in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. More than 2.4 billion people still rely on biomass for cooking.

Modern biomass energy applications include generating electricity, producing transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, and providing process heat for industrial facilities. Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to produce steam and electricity. Overall, biomass offers a renewable fuel source that benefits energy access and sustainability.

Hydroelectric – Regional Reliance

Hydropower is an important source of renewable electricity in many parts of the world. Globally, hydropower provides around 16% of total electricity generation. However, hydropower generation is heavily concentrated in certain regions that have favorable geography and abundant water resources.

In Asia, hydropower accounts for over 16% of total electricity supply. Major producers include China, India, Japan, and Turkey. Africa generates over 20% of its electricity from hydropower, with countries like Ethiopia, Zambia, and Mozambique leading the way. South America is also a major hydropower hub, with countries like Brazil getting over 65% of electricity from this renewable resource.

In contrast, hydropower plays a much smaller role in North America and Europe, providing around 6-7% of total electricity generation. While hydropower development potential exists, fewer new large facilities are being built in these regions compared to developing countries where demand for electricity is rapidly growing.

Overall, the level of hydropower generation across countries and regions depends heavily on natural endowments of water resources and topology. But hydropower remains an essential component of the renewable energy mix in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America.

Geothermal – Untapped Potential

Geothermal energy comes from the natural heat within the earth. While geothermal energy is used for electricity generation and heating in certain areas, globally it remains an underutilized energy source. Geothermal energy has huge potential to provide clean, renewable baseload power.

Geothermal power plants currently generate electricity in about 25 countries worldwide. However, experts estimate that just 6-7% of the total global geothermal potential has been tapped so far. With advanced technologies, geothermal resources that were previously inaccessible can now be developed economically.

Geothermal offers a continuous, steady supply of electricity, unlike intermittent renewables such as wind and solar. This makes geothermal a valuable clean power source that could provide baseload electricity generation. With further development, geothermal energy could play a major role in the global transition to sustainable energy.

Solar – The Fastest Growing Renewable

Of all the renewable energy sources, solar has seen the most rapid growth in recent years. Although it accounted for less than 2% of total global energy production in 2020, solar capacity has been expanding exponentially. This exponential growth has been driven by plummeting costs, making solar ever more competitive with fossil fuels.

The cost to install solar panels has dropped by over 70% in the last decade, thanks to economies of scale, technology improvements, and market forces. As prices fall further, adopting solar energy makes increasing economic sense for households, businesses and utilities. Rooftop solar panels have transformed how millions of households produce electricity, enabling homes to generate their own clean energy.

With solar energy capacity doubling nearly every two years, it is emerging as a mainstream energy source. If current trends continue, solar power has the potential to meet 20% or more of global electricity demand by 2030.

Wind – Competitive Technology

Wind energy is expanding rapidly and becoming highly cost competitive. Since 2000, global wind power capacity has doubled approximately every three years. Many experts project that wind could provide 20% of global electricity by 2030 if this pace continues.

The majority of wind turbines today are large, utility-scale installations feeding into the electric grid. But distributed wind energy for homes, farms, and businesses is growing as well. Advancements in turbine technology allow wind projects to be economically built on more and more sites.

With wind now cheaper than fossil fuels in many markets, the industry is positioned for strong continued growth worldwide. Wind energy is clean, renewable, widely available, and complements solar power nicely as a major pillar of the global clean energy transition.

The Future Energy Mix

Looking ahead, the global energy system will see a changing mix of fuels and technologies. Fossil fuels, mainly oil, coal and natural gas, will continue to play the dominant role in the near-to-medium term future. However, renewable energy sources like solar and wind are expanding their foothold at a rapid pace and are expected to supply an increasing share of the world’s energy.

Nuclear power, hydroelectric dams and biomass will also maintain significant roles in many countries’ energy portfolios. The ideal scenario is a more diverse and flexible energy system, with a combination of legacy and emerging technologies tailored to each region’s unique resources and needs. With smart policies, technological innovation and strategic investments, countries can transition toward a sustainable energy future built on affordable, reliable and clean sources.

The Path to Sustainability

Transitioning the world’s energy supply to sustainable sources is a daunting but necessary task. Phasing out fossil fuels and rapidly scaling up renewable energy must be the top priority. Solar, wind, hydroelectric and other clean sources have seen tremendous growth and cost reductions lately, making them increasingly competitive with coal, oil and natural gas. But renewables still have a long way to go before they dominate energy production.

Greater efficiency is another critical piece of the sustainability puzzle. By decreasing energy waste in buildings, transportation systems, industries and grids, we can dramatically reduce demand and emissions. From LED light bulbs to electric vehicles to smart appliances, efficiency innovations are essential complements to renewables.

Furthermore, continued research and development into emerging clean technologies like advanced nuclear, carbon capture, geothermal, tidal, fusion and others will provide additional options for deep decarbonization. There are no silver bullet solutions, so an “all of the above” approach is prudent.

The shift to sustainable energy presents technical, political and economic hurdles. But with sensible policies, public and private investment, and a shared resolve to preserve the planet, humanity can build an energy system that sustains economies and ecosystems alike. The path forward is clear, even if the journey remains challenging.