Friday, April 22, 2011

Puzzle of Energy Independence

It is time to queries about our energy future. Oil and nuclear are the daily news, will they fizzle?

Globalization has gradually left its unmistakable imprint all sectors. Nations do more exuberant leeway and are faced with the relentless development of economic logic, fickle peoples' concerns, political instability and the weakening of global natural resources.

It is particularly located in the heart of the strategic sector that is the preeminent energy, mainly for oil and gas sectors, but also for renewable energy like wind and solar and nuclear energy naturally.

In this framework, defining a draft smart energy mix, combining welfare and sustainability, meeting economy and population, is an extremely delicate exercise requiring a quasi-divination.

Energy choices in a democracy
The French state, like most other governments, will have to pay it again, its primary energy mix is too dissonant, both to satisfy public opinion and to respect its international commitments. Only 5% of renewable energy, against 53% of fossil fuels (oil and gas) and 42% nuclear (78% of electricity production) can not in any way appropriate for a prosperous and healthy (source: INSEE ). So many questions to be addressed with accuracy and diplomacy, which has never been the preserve of French officials, who have predisposition to hear only the voice technocratic certainly useful, but terribly fallible. The recent example of the place of the moratorium on photovoltaic shows that public consultation, even if led by inspectors general well-meaning, remain paltry sham and infertile justified by the mere facade of propriety against professionals.

The future of nuclear energy
Of course, obliges news, nuclear power will be at the heart of the first questions. Should he or not to renew the existing fleet is a matter warranting serious discussion that the next presidential campaign might require, and if the answer should be affirmative, it would then determine how and how quickly achieve its development level in surrounding himself with all the appropriate safeguards. Finally, the thorny problem of processing and storage of radioactive waste should be treated with clarity and integrity.

The end of oil era
The oil and gas supplies, with their attendant difficulties growing faster output constraint of the era of fossil fuel use, must be serious-looking analysis to develop the tools of equilibrium between applied research and energy savings. Transport could well become a nightmare for decades, the conversion of parks not even started. Fortunately, the residential has received much more attention and technical regulations of the building are, in principle, the model for the industry.

The solar photovoltaic unwelcome, shark's prowl...
Issues explode into fireworks on renewable energy. The wind, which like nuclear is not unanimous, solar thermal and photovoltaic as geothermal sectors remain extremely marginal, despite the ups and downs of goodwill displayed followed by inexplicable turnovers justified by false arguments.

The questions around the energy mix expansion, diversification concerning both the singular involvement of lobbyists and energy companies in decision-making.

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