REALISTIC ENERGY OPTIONS OR WISHFUL THINKING? DO THE MATH

The United States consumes over 100 quadrillion BTUs of energy annually, including approximately 21 million barrels of oil per day, 3 million tons of coal per day, and 57 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. Any realistic proposal to displace fossil fuels from the U.S. energy diet must consider the quantities of energy required by the nation. A number of existing or emerging energy technologies and new energy sources have been proposed as alternatives to fossil fuels. These alternative sources must be vigorously pursued and encouraged. However, we must be cognizant of the scale of production required and the (sometimes unanticipated) consequences of scaling promising concepts into substantial production. A whole-systems approach must be used to assess the benefits, costs, and consequences of using traditional and alternative energy sources.