The most reasonable approach to long-term sustainable energy production is not obvious.

If a
clear solution to the world’s future energy needs existed, we would have a well-defined road to
achieving our energy goals. Many options need to be considered. Any viable sustainable energy
options must not only make a positive impact on our energy requirement for the present and near
future, but must also have a positive influence on the quality of life for future generations. There
are few challenge for sustainable energy development:

a) Availability of necessary resources.

The power that is available from alternative resources depend on the nature and extent of
the resource, as well as the existence of a viable technology to utilize the energy resource.
Although nonrenewable energy resources, such as fossil fuels or nuclear, are limited in
terms of the total energy available, truly renewable resources may be expected to be
virtually unlimited in their total availability. However, the power available, even from
renewable resources, is limited. Obviously some of the renewable technologies discussed
such as solar and wind are prevalent in most parts of the world, but others such as
geothermal or tidal are more limited in their distribution.

It is important to realize, however that the power available from a particular

resource may be extensive, but our ability to harness that energy may be limited by other
factors. The utilization of solar energy for the production of electricity is a good example.
Solar energy is not infinite because the sun is a finite object and the earth intercept only a
very small fraction on the energy that the sun produces. However even this small fraction
of the sun’s energy is very much more than is needed to satisfy all of humanity’s needs.
To utilize the sun’s energy, appropriate devices, such as photovoltaic cells, are needed to
convert electromagnetic energy into electrical energy.
b) Availability of the necessary technology.

Sometimes technological barrier inhibit the development of a resources. In some cases,

the lack of a suitable technological infrastructure is the result of a lack of basic scientific
knowledge in a way that is both practical and economical need to be developed. Fusion
energy is one example where further basic research is necessary to understand fully the
ways in which this energy source can be made viable. Photovoltaic is an example of a
field where functioning devices are common use, but further research is needed to
improve efficiency, make them more economically competitive, and make their extensive
use feasible from a materials availability standpoint.

The development of renewable energy touches on a very wide variety of diverse

fields, ranging from biochemistry (for biofuel synthesis), to semiconductor physics (for
photovoltaic) to plasma and nuclear physics (for fusion energy), and to surface science
and materials research (for tidal energy). The development of high-temperature
superconductors for possible energy-related applications is an example of how scientific
and technological advances can be combined to make progress toward improved energy
system. Some of the ways is which superconductors can contribute to energy system
includes low-loss power transmission cables, superconducting magnet energy storage,
and light-weight, high output generators for wind energy applications.

Figure 1. Structure of second-generations high-temperature superconducting wire.

c) Consideration of economic factors.

The ultimate commercialization of any energy technology must consider economics as a

major factor in determining its viability. This is particularly a concern for large scale energy
produce and distributors, such as public utilities, that ultimately provide electrical energy
to consumers. The development and construction of new installations for the productions
of electricity require long-term financial viability. The cost to produce electricity may be
modeled in the following way. The cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated is given
as:
𝑙. 𝐶𝑅𝐹
𝐶 = 𝐶𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 + 𝐶𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 +
ℎ
𝑅𝑓(8760 𝑦)

Where,
Cfuel= Cost per kilowatt-hour for fuel.
Coperating = Operating and maintenance cost per kilowatt-hour.
l = Total capital installation cost. R = Total maximum capacity (in KW).
f = Capacity factor. CRF = Capital recovery factor.

The capacity factor is the fraction of the total theoretical capacity that is actually
achieved. The capital recovery factors takes into amount the accrued interest on the capital
investment and is given by:
𝑖. (1 + 𝑖)^𝑇
𝐶𝑅𝐹 =
[(1 + 𝑖)𝑇 − 1]
Where,
i = Annual interest rate expressed as a friction (i.e. 5.1% would be 0.051).
T = Payback period.

In general, fuel costs are important for generating technologies such as coal, natural
gas or nuclear thermal plants, or combustion turbines. Typically not of relevance for many
renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. The implementation of financial models
of energy production depends on a number of factors. Operating cost depend on a number
of factors, including facility design local labor and materials cost. Infrastructure cost of
course depend on the energy resource being utilized but can also vary considerably
depending on the design of the facility.
d) Consideration of social factors.

The public perception of energy is influenced by a number of factors, including economics,

comfort, safety, environmental factors and even aesthetics. There was relatively little
public interest in alternative energy sources prior to the energy crisis in the early 1970s
except perhaps in the controversy over the risk associated with nuclear energy. Since its
beginnings, nuclear energy has been controversial. This debate precedes any significant
development of most alternative renewable energy resource. Public approval of nuclear
energy has generally increased in the United States over the past 40years. However,
approval typically decreases after a nuclear incident, around 1986 when the Chernobyl
incident occurred. After the incident, the nuclear energy regulation is become stricter and
it is likely that the chance of further incidents decrease. Only public perception of the risk
associated with nuclear energy effect the approval rating.

Figure 2: Result of polls Americans favor or oppose nuclear energy

While public opinion seems to greatly favor the development of renewable energy
sources and there is a positive feeling that this is possibly on an unrealistically short
timescale, there is no accept any economic consequence that could result from moving
away from inexpensive fossil fuels.
e) Environmental impact.

Renewable energy are generally considered to have less environmental impact than fossil
fuels. A quantitative assessment of environmental impact is often difficult because many
environmental factors do not have a direct quantitative metric. One aspect of the
environmental impact of renewable energy that can be expressed quantitatively is
greenhouse gas emissions. Such an assessment would include greenhouse gas emissions
that occurred not only during the productions of energy from the renewable resource but
also during the acquisition of materials, production of necessary equipment, transportation
of components, maintenance of the facility, and ultimate disposal of equipment.

Figure 3: Emissions per unit of electrical energy produced for energy sources.

Others aspects of the environmental impact of renewable energy might be more

difficult to quantify but can become apparent by means of careful analysis. As with solar
energy, the low energy density of many renewables is an important contributing factor in
their environmental impact. The low energy density of renewable is also a contributing
factor to their relatively high human risk factor. The large quantity of material needed for
many renewable technologies means risk associated with the required mining operations,
material transportation, manufacturing processes and related operations and these
typically outweigh the direct risk associated with the energy generations itself.
f) Consideration of political factors.
Political decisions on energy-related matters general follow from a nation’s energy policy,
as well as the efforts of individual politicians to defend the energy interest of their
constituents. Energy policy provides guidelines for energy-related laws and treaties with
other countries and directives for government agencies dealing with energy issues. The
following items are common components of national policies:

 A description national policies concerning energy generation, transmission and use.

 The establishment energy efficiency and environmental standards related to energy
use.
 The specification of energy-related fiscal policies, including subsidies, tax and to
promote improve energy utilization.
 The participation in funding programs for energy-related research and
development.
 The development of energy-related treaties and agreements with other countries.

The most appropriate means of dealing with these points can vary greatly from one
countries to another and depend on a number of factors such as:

 Economy.
 Climate.
 Geography.
 Natural resources.
 Population.

Although it may be reasonable for a country with a land area, low populations density,
substantial natural resources, and a good economy to strive for energy independence, that
goal is not reasonable for a nation that has small land area, a large population density and
few resources. While energy policies attempt to established goals needs to be defined in
order to implement such policies. The success of an energy policy lies not only in the
suitability of its goals but also in the ability of society to overcome the necessary obstacles
in order to achieve those goals.

Many aspect of energy policy are most appropriately considered at the regional,
state/provincial, or municipal level. These factors include for instance energy conservation,
building code and other measures that are influenced by local geography and climate.
Overall, establishing government energy policies that are environmentally sound
technologically feasible and economically viable for a particular nation or region is a
challenge that can provide long term benefits and lead to a sustainable energy future.
g) Ability to integrate new technology with existing technology.

Whatever the mix of energy sources that will be adopted for the future, it is clear that
changes must be made in how we produce and utilize energy. The energy technologies
that have been developed over many years must give way to the new approaches in order
to establish a sustainable infrastructure for the future.

Transportation is an interesting example of the potential challenges to changes

energy production and use, as well as of the need to consider all relevant aspect of
reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. If for example, future transportation systems are
based on battery electric vehicles or fuel cell vehicle, then the elimination of the existing
fossil fuel vehicle infrastructure and the development of a new transportation must be
done in a manner that minimizes or precludes disruption.

An important concern related to the integration of alternative energy technologies

with our existing electricity supply grid deals with the intermittent nature of most
renewable energy sources. This would include for example the daily variations in solar
energy, the somewhat less predictable variations in wind energy and the cyclic
periodicity of tidal energy. Hydroelectric and geothermal are alternative resources that
offer a more predictable supply of energy, however geothermal availability is probably
not sufficient to make any substantial long-term contribution to global energy use. To
make the most efficient use of available resources, it is necessary to integrate alternative
energy technologies with suitable energy storage techniques and energy from base-load
fossil fuel, nuclear or possibly hydroelectric facilities. A long-term goal of eliminating
fossil fuel will require intelligent control of energy production and distribution facilities
to ensure a reliable supply of electrical energy.