Our transition to sustainable energy

As our populations continue to grow, so does our consumption of resources and power to support our everyday needs. We are reaching a stage where the amount of resources needed to sustain our population exceeds what is available and as a result we are continuously impacting our planets ecological health. It has never been more apparent that we need to quickly transition to more sustainable energy resources that are renewable and cleaner in order to survive.

[Picture Source]

Each year, a greater number of people's health is compromised from air pollution generated by power plants. Premature death can be caused by acid rain and by particulates in the air that we breathe. Carbon-dioxide emissions are a major culprit in the rapid global warming, which remains a long-range fossil fuel problem. [Source]

According to scientists, it will take at least 3 decades to completely leave behind fossil fuels and transition to more sustainable and renewable resources. This in turn should lead to better lives for us and our planet.

[Picture Source]

The key to making this transition is to start with the easy and small stuff first. This will take the effort of the entire whole of our species to accomplish. Most agree that the best way to start transitioning off fossil fuels is to replace the need for coal to generate electricity with Solar and Wind power. Currently both technologies are too expensive for the average consumer to afford.

In a surprising announcement on Friday October 28th, Elon Musk showcased Tesla's Powerwall 2 and Solar Roof technology which he mentioned would be more affordable and more efficient. According to Bloomberg, "Tesla is selling the batteries at retail prices that are cheaper than the average manufacturing cost at most companies," which should drive the prices of solar down over time making it more affordable for everyone to adopt.

You can read more about the announcement from Bloomberg.

Below is the launch video of the Solar Roof announcement which also showcases the technology, concept, and various roof materials that will be available.

Tesla's vision is to combine Powerwall, solar power, and electric vehicles to create a zero emission lifestyle. The sun provides more than enough energy to supply and care for your needs. Someday in the near future, your home can capture this free, abundant energy source through these solar tiles, and convert it into electricity for immediate use or storage.

Hopefully through Tesla's lead and continued research, we can soon move closer to 100% adoption of solar . The expectation is that installation of these solar tiles will cost about the same as installing a standard roof and that eventually as people replace their roofs, they can convert to these solar shingles until most neighborhood houses are outfitted with these.

Since solar and wind produce electricity, it makes sense to electrify as much of our energy usage as we can. we could heat and cool most buildings using electric systems and replacing gas furnaces. We could also begin switching out all our gas cooking stoves for electric stoves, which in the end can also be safer.

The one drawback to using solar and wind technologies is that we would have to adjust our energy usage. From a timing perspective, solar and wind is only available during certain periods. This means we would need to increase our storage capabilities as well as learn to be less reliant on generated power during times of intermittent outage.

This also means increasing the density of our cities and suburbs to more efficiently utilize the power generated from these technologies and adopting more primitive forms of transportation such as walking and biking, which overall is healthier for us anyways - this not only means a healthier environment, but also healthier people. Another adjustment would be for people to shift their attitudes and more willingly use public transportation that runs on electricity such as trains and buses. This leads to less vehicles on the road, which results in less traffic and less pollution.

If we could attain at least a small percentage of adoption, it would mean a big step in the movement to begin our transition to more complex restructuring.

Once we start making small moves toward sustainable energy, more and more people will follow, and eventually we can tackle the more complex transitions. This would mean more advances as well as more behavioral adaptation, until we reach a point where we are completely transitioned off of limited resources and fossil fuels.

[Picture Source]

Further advancement would mean moving to more organic materials including food as well as new technologies for aviation and space exploration - since those forms of transportation are highly reliant on fossil fuels. Hopefully as research and technology advances, we will be able to slowly identify solutions for this.

[Picture Source]

In the end, If our transition to renewable and sustainable energy is successful, we will have a much more stable climate and we will see greatly reduced health and environmental impacts from all of our activities. We'll live happier, longer, and more meaningful lives and be able to enjoy all that our planet has to offer.