The energy is ending wake of natural disaster and the impending nuclear disaster in Japan, has raised an incredible energy debate. All are fighting on a type of energy, nuclear energy. But I want to remove me from the pack. I want to expand my horizons and see what the energy situation in the world and especially in Italy today.
Turn off the lights does not save the world
First I want to dispel a myth. Using low energy light bulbs and remembering to turn off the LEDs of televisions do not save the world. Italian per capita consumption in 2007 amounted to 5,372 kWh, of which 1,132 kWh in households (source:
http://www.enerpoint.it/solare/scopri-il-solare/risparmiare-energia/consumi-energetici. php ). This means that 24-24h off all lights and bulbs and appliances in our homes short if not everyday use, the energy needs of our country would be reduced by about 20%. Which is quite unthinkable. If we were all good environmentalists and we follow strictly the rules of the indispensable, we will probably save 5%.
All this to say what? To say that we should not be impressed by the huge numbers that tell us! If you turn off a led tonnes of CO2 savings per year, if you do this you close a central ... Yes, they are real numbers, but we're talking about a 5% of our energy. Saving energy will not save the world. About utters these sentences are talking to get publicity, to grab the consents. It is enough.
Continuing the conversation you ask you, how are we then to consume the other 80%? Well in per capita consumption is included all the energy of the country, then all that part of those 5000kWh that we use in our house, they use industries. The industrial sector consumes more energy that we can not imagine why our houses are nothing.
solar panels and renewable
But then, if we put two panels on the house we struggle to feed itself, how can we expect an industry to work with renewables? It is currently not possible. The simple truth is that our country uses energy, so much energy, and when we have so little that we have to buy it from abroad.
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Here a very interesting and graphic reference to Italy, which shows the origin of our kW. We can see different things. First, that our demand for energy seems to have declined slightly in recent years, but due to the economic crisis, not environmentalists. Secondly'll notice that most the energy is produced from renewable "Thermoelectrics". In other words pertrolio, coal, gas, biomass, anything that can burn. Another major part is produced from hydro, and the third largest party is acquired and nuclear ...! Hence it is easy to say that 20 years ago was a mistake to suspend the development of nuclear energy. But nuclear power today do not want to talk.
Bensi want to talk about another fact that does not jump immediately to the eye instead. The fact that hydro-section (and even here there would be a great issue with), Italy produces a negligible amount of renewable energy. And this despite the strong incentives on the last PV years. Why? Simply because the PV is still technologically backward. With government incentives, if the PV was really a viable alternative for industries (and I repeat industries because they are the ones that determine the energy demand!) That you would not have used?
The problem is that nowadays with the PV is not going anywhere. The money incentives were in my opinion a waste of money, appropriated them as usual for some politician to have the support of the electorate. If instead of mounting panels just as efficient as we have now scattered all over Italy, we had invested in energy research sources, perhaps we would already be a step forward. Rassegnamoci idea that it will take decades more before reaching a good level of renewable technology, and meanwhile we are free. Without energy, as well as free energies.
What to do?
Then the polluter and oil is running out, bad news coming for coal and gas, renewables and nuclear power are not ready, that he is ending but it would give a hand to the long time ... scary . I do not want to leave you with my answer because I do not have the presumption that it is the right one, but I want you poniate a question.
So what do we do?
Gas