The ability to perform work

The importance of energy cannot be understated. Everything on the earth would be wiped out if energy ceased to exist. Despite the physical law that says 'Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another', the world is slowly beginning to panic as the threat of non-renewable energy sources running out becomes more real with each passing day. Technology has become a valuable partner to man, allowing us to tap energy from the likes of water, wind, and sunlight. Renewable energy is possibly the only thing that will save mankind after the eventual total consumption of fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources.

Interestingly, Singapore has close to zero energy security. Our reliance on the supply of energy is largely external, and if the day comes when external sources of energy are disrupted or stopped, we are in big trouble. At the same time, we do not have enough land to sacrifice for energy production. However, Singapore has been on the alert, and are already considering nuclear power as an energy source. The government has also reassured residents of potential dangers by planning to locate the power plant on a separate island entity away from the body of Singapore. Personally, I feel that it is a good idea. As technology advances, we become more equipped to deal with the dangers of a nuclear plant. It will serve us well in the future. Windmills are not feasible in Singapore due to the many high-rise buildings on our landscape. However, we can look into tapping solar energy as Singapore does not have seasonal change, it is sunny all year long.

A claim against renewable energy was put up, however, in one of the presentations. The claim is that fossil fuels have to be burnt in order to create renewable energy. That is true, for now. However, I feel that it would only take some time for all that to change. By constantly improving our technology, there will come a day where we can use renewable energy to power the production of renewable energy. This is difficult now, due to the limited conversion capability of renewable energy producers. Nevertheless, I would have no qualms on sacrificing some fossil fuels in order to propel the technology of renewable energy so that we can reap the full benefits of that one day.

The use of fossil fuels isn't all bad either. In the past, forests were preserved when wood fuels were given up for fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are also produce the highest amount of energy when burnt, providing the most efficient method of energy production. Fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal are also easily portable, and greatly reduces the costs of energy transportation. It is crucial that we do not focus solely on the downside of using fossil fuels, but we must also understand why it is beneficial for us to use them. This provides us with a more all-rounded viewpoint and broadens our mind.

One of the most monumental constructions of man lies in Switzerland. It is the large hadron collider (LHC). It has the potential to unravel the many mysteries in the realm of physics. Many people doubt the LHC to live up to its promise, however, as the concepts that it plans to uncover and prove are rather far-fetched. But what does this have to do with energy? The connection comes in the form of the superconducting magnet technology that is being pioneered and understood in the LHC. It could be all we need to build nuclear fusion power stations, which could end the energy crisis altogether.

The LHC has been briefly mentioned in one of the videos, but its impact can be far greater than anyone could imagine. I would think that it should have been given more airtime in class, as there are many ideas that the class could discuss about. Similarly, we could have covered the demand-side solutions to the possible energy crisis as well. An example is the concept of negawatt power.

This session has been quite important as it touched on one of the most pressing issues in the 20th century. Despite all our constraints, it is hard to believe that man would be stymied at this point in time after breaking through so many barriers in the past. On the whole, I feel that it is a matter of time before some technology, existing or not, turns up to replace our reliance on fossil fuels. Great session.

8.5/10