A few weeks ago a reader called to ask how much oil and natural gas is left in the world, what might be the depletion rate, and when the world might "run out" of oil. I directed him to several sources of information. Much has been written on the subject.
I also cautioned him that any data he found would be based on current information and would be subject to change. Over time, reserve estimates change as new fields are discovered and new technologies are created to produce reserves from mature fields.
The form of energy we use changes much like reserve estimates. The form of energy used to heat homes is an example. Although today many homes are heated with electricity, such was not the case a few generations back.
Coal, fuel oil, and gas
In the 1920s, my grandmother heated her home with coal. At the back of her large brick home in Canton, Ohio, was a chute to the basement for coal that fed a huge boiler straight out of a Stephen King novel. That boiler, with its ominous rumbles and sinister branching pipes, cost me sleep when I had to fetch something from the cellar.
Although the practice of using coal for home heat is now less prevalent, some power generation plants, such as the state-of-the-art Twin Oaks power plant in Robertson County, Tex., use coal as a feedstock. This facility—the cleanest coal-fired generating plant in Texas—uses fluidized-bed combustion technology and limestone injection to minimize nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions.
In the 1950s my mother heated her home with fuel oil. When adjusted for inflation, heating oil is cheaper now than it was years ago. Many advances have been made to modernize oil-heat equipment and make it extremely energy efficient and dependable. Today's oil-heat systems create no observable soot, dirt, or odors in the home when properly maintained.
In this generation, in Tomball, Tex., natural gas is the home heating energy of choice. Gas is abundant because the town overlies a salt dome with a huge reserve. At one time residential gas was free. The local utility company since that time has begun to charge for usage, but the cost is still low. Gas heat is one of the safest and cleanest types of heating energy available today.
New forms
In the future, my daughter might use some new form of energy to heat her home such as hydro or wind-generated electricity.
Pacific Hydro Ltd.'s Codrington wind farm, near Port Fairy in Southwest Victoria, Australia, generates 18.2 Mw of electricity. Photo courtesy of Pacific Hydro, Melbourne.
In Australia, wind farms and hydroelectric projects are gaining commercial ground as renewable and sustainable sources of energy.
One example is Melbourne-based Pacific Hydro Ltd.'s Codrington wind farm located near Port Fairy in southwestern Victoria. The facility generates 18.2 Mw of electricity on 600 acres, enough power for 11,000 homes. The 14 wind generators and service roads take up less than 1% of the site. The remaining 99% can be used as pasture for cows and other agricultural purposes.
Pacific Hydro's Ord River hydro project, in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia, supplies 30 Mw of power to the towns of Kununurra and Wyndham. Water released from the lake through the dam and turbines is used in irrigation for nearby sugar, fruit, and vegetable industries.
It will be interesting to see what types of energy our grandchildren choose for their homes. No doubt they will have choices we haven't even imagined.
