Session 8: Energy and World Change (Past, Present and Future)

Brief overview/ Summary:

Session 8 was sort of dreadful as we make out way back to school from recess week! Last session we talked concluded the topic on Biobusiness Revolution and today we begin talking on Energy and World Change

• Prof showed us an video titled  Climate Change, Energy and Action --> "New Habits, Technologies, Ideas"
• We are also looking towards moving from unsustainable fossil fuel-based 
  energy intensive economy to environmentally sound and sustainable clean and green approach
• There are also certain considerations to take note of such as providing energy for the poor as well as energy being a main source of income (eg. Norway)
• Prof also shared with us the sun and the current level of utilization in the terms of the amount of solar energy we are currently using. I thought this was pretty interesting given the high level of sun Singapore receives and will be talking about this later. 
• We also had 5 presentations on this topic, namely on biomass as a long term energy solution, nuclear energy, potato power, solar energy and lunar ring

Interesting Observations/ Key Takeaways: 

• The video on Climate Change, Energy and Action was showed to us as an introductory to the topic we were exploring. The main idea that was highlighted in the video to me was that we require new habits, technologies and ideas in order for us to become greener in our energy usage and even the type of energy we use. Examples of 'new habits' are ways we live our lives for example we can change our old habit of driving to commute to car pooling, taking public transport, cycling or even walking. These changes in habits would therefore be able to bring about a reduction in usage of petroleum. New technologies include innovation that are able to 'clean up' our environment or that it does not produce much toxic wastes into the environment. Lastly, new ideas are innovation of technologies  of energy that we are able to use which is sustainable in the long run. I thought this was a pretty neat concept! The most important point to me is 'new habits' as I feel that it can be achieved at an individual's level which can be considered effortless. Sure, there might be some sacrifices that one has to make but I feel that all these changes need time to get used to and in due time they will not be considered sacrifices anymore
• The video ended with this quote which I thought was very meaningful. "Conserve your planet, its the only one we have"If we as habitants of planet Earth do not take good care of our planet, then who will?
• On the point of moving from unsustainable fossil fuel-based energy intensive economy to environmentally sound and sustainable clean and green approach, Prof mentioned that the developing countries (BRICS) are actually following the same development approach as Western countries which is unsustainable. I do feel that this is not the way to go but I have to point out that these countries are merely following the assured route to development. They should however also note that while it may be an assured route to development, the times in which these unsustainable methods are used is different today compared to when Western countries went through development. These were some of the drivers to change that prof mentioned as well.

Yearly Solar Fluxes & Human Energy Consumption
Solar	3,850,000 EJ
Wind	2,250 EJ
Biomass	3,000 EJ ----------------
Primary energy use (2005)	487 EJ
Electricity (2005)	56.7 EJ

• This table showcases the amount of solar, wind and biomass energy that is released and consumed. The amount of energy wasted is astounding! I would think that it may be due to the high cost of converting energy from the sun to energy we can actually make use of that is the reason for not utilising solar energy. The most amazing thing that may be quite 'duh' to people was the fact that prof mentioned about biomass being nature's 'battery'. This means that it actually store's the energy from the sun so that it can be used later as biomass energy.
• As mentioned above, some considerations to take note is the provision of energy for poor countries. I feel that this is tied into the previous session on should Internet access be a right for all? To me, provision of energy would actually come first before the Internet can be accessed and put to good use. This would also link to my opinion on the presentation on Potato Power.
• Out of the 5 presentations, I felt that the presentation on potato power by Benedict was the most captivating. I felt that his presentation not only was humorous but the topic was simple and relatable to us. It basically talked about how a single potato is powerful enough to light an LED lamp for 40 days. Boiling and slicing of potatoes can be done to further increase the output of energy. This means that it has enough energy to charge a mobile phone. I felt that this was a viable solution to providing energy for poor countries as Benedict explained how inexpensive potatoes are as compared to an alkaline battery. He however mentioned some drawbacks to using potatoes as a source of energy such as food security which may be an obstacle for poor countries. Some may feel that it is important to first feed a person (more so when potato is a form of carbohydrates) than to use it to generate energy if it is deemed less important. I remember a few weeks ago when we were talking about healthcare and biomedical in session 6, Prof said that we should invest in researching for new vaccines for people in developing countries rather than spending the money only on curing them as prevention may be better than cure. I would think this same concept applies here. While it is important to be able to provide food for people, should potatoes be in excess supply (as what Benedict mentioned), we should make use of them for other better purposes.

Personal ratings for this session:
7/10. It would be better if there were more videos shown in class!