Contrary to popular belief, world energy sources are not depleting. According to ExxonMobil, the reason for the concern on future energy supplies is the lack of technology and intelligence available today.
Last night, ExxonMobil Senior Technology Advisor Dr. Don Garner gave SMU engineering students his perspective on projected world energy supplies over the next 25 years.
As students gathered into the Junkins Engineering Building, Dr. Garner explained that by the year 2030, our world’s energy consumption will double. Garner blamed the developing world for most of the consumption. According to ExxonMobil’s predictions, developing countries consume 80 percent of the world’s total energy.
The reasons being that developing countries do not have the technology to be efficient.
“Production trends are based on population. By the year 2030 North America and Europe’s population will come to a stand still, Japan will see a negative population growth, but the developing world’s population will double,” said Garner.
Developed countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development have seen improvements of energy efficiency and have sustained these improvement, said Garner. However non-OECD countries consume four to five times more than OECD explained Garner.
“There is a lot of room for improvement,” said Garner. He said that most of the problem has to do with the poor infrastructure of the Asian Pacific. “Sitting in traffic, in a congested city for 30 minutes is not an efficient way to consume energy. But how do we evolve infrastructure?” Questioned Garner.
Garner went on to say that although research for alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar, biomass and nuclear are in the works, it’s going to take time to turn over the capital and our present technology stops this from being possible.
“How can we run our electricity on solar energy? The sun goes down out night,” argued Garner. The only way for alternative methods of energy to work is if it can be stored in large quantities. As it stands solar power is too expensive and wind is located in remote places.
“The bottom line is we need energy efficiency to improve. Oil, coal and gas remain the predominant sources of energy,” stressed Garner. Garner explained there are not lakes of oil or pools of gas placed around the world. They are tapped tightly in areas, in the pores of rocks. “The question is how do we know where to drill?” Asked Garner.
So far there is more than twice as much energy remaining as there is already used. However ten percent of oil is in the ground waiting for technology to find it, said Garner. “We do not have a shortage of the source, we have a shortage of intellectual use,” expressed Exxon Mobil Technology Advisor.
Member of the audience Graham Radler questioned what Garner had to say. “Garner’s perspective was from Exxon Mobil’s, he represented the industry. He gives you figures that ‘prove’ the reserves are extractable. But can we really get into the ground and get the oil?” Argued Radler.
In addition, engineer major Julie Pollard said she thought that his projections make sense. “The numbers correlate with what he had to say,” said Pollard.
Bringing his speech to an end, Garner said, “I can’t say it often enough, the need for technology.” If the adequate technology is available evolution will allow supplies to keep up, Garner enforced.
