Current events in the Ukraine are a lesson in how a world dependent on fossil fuels is also a world formed by unstable relationships between geopolitical fossil fuels have and have nots.
There are two major geographies that are dependent on fossil fuel imports, Europe and China. China is a relatively recent but very fast growing importer of oil. There are two major exporters of oil, Russia and the middle east, dominated by Saudi Arabia. Europe has moved gradually to importing more from Russia as China has competed for oil from the middle east. Middle eastern oil is protected by the “Pax Americana” which meant that European oil used to be from a relatively secure source. Russia has proved to be other than secure and reliable.
As Russia has grown militarily aggressive it is clear that the European gamble on a stable interdependent relationship with Russia has proven to be a bad choice. Europe has finally recognized this and is now in a mad scramble to reduce its dependency on Russian oil (and gas). Unfortunately the world supply of oil and gas is not very elastic and switching suppliers is going to be very costly. Increasing the emphasis on renewable energy as an alternative is going to accelerate the realization of how expensive and slow this path is.
Already fossil fuel suppliers around the world are starting to increase supply and there are pressures building to keep and grow nuclear power. European renewables will face growing competition despite political support. Northern Europe has a geography that is bad for solar energy, particularly in winter.
The European need for a reliable source of energy will badly impact their goal for clean renewable energy to fight climate change. In an ideal world there would be an affordable renewable energy alternative, that now that there is political will for fast change, could be quickly deployed.
Stratosolar provides a clean and affordable renewable energy solution for Europe and the world.
Affordable energy from solar energy that has no geographical constraint can make the world far more politically stable as well as helping solve the growing climate crisis. It avoids the technological and political risks of the other contenders like existing alternative energy sources, and nuclear fission and fusion.
By Edmund Kelly
There are two major geographies that are dependent on fossil fuel imports, Europe and China. China is a relatively recent but very fast growing importer of oil. There are two major exporters of oil, Russia and the middle east, dominated by Saudi Arabia. Europe has moved gradually to importing more from Russia as China has competed for oil from the middle east. Middle eastern oil is protected by the “Pax Americana” which meant that European oil used to be from a relatively secure source. Russia has proved to be other than secure and reliable.
As Russia has grown militarily aggressive it is clear that the European gamble on a stable interdependent relationship with Russia has proven to be a bad choice. Europe has finally recognized this and is now in a mad scramble to reduce its dependency on Russian oil (and gas). Unfortunately the world supply of oil and gas is not very elastic and switching suppliers is going to be very costly. Increasing the emphasis on renewable energy as an alternative is going to accelerate the realization of how expensive and slow this path is.
Already fossil fuel suppliers around the world are starting to increase supply and there are pressures building to keep and grow nuclear power. European renewables will face growing competition despite political support. Northern Europe has a geography that is bad for solar energy, particularly in winter.
The European need for a reliable source of energy will badly impact their goal for clean renewable energy to fight climate change. In an ideal world there would be an affordable renewable energy alternative, that now that there is political will for fast change, could be quickly deployed.
Stratosolar provides a clean and affordable renewable energy solution for Europe and the world.
Affordable energy from solar energy that has no geographical constraint can make the world far more politically stable as well as helping solve the growing climate crisis. It avoids the technological and political risks of the other contenders like existing alternative energy sources, and nuclear fission and fusion.
By Edmund Kelly
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