The Current Demand For Energy - 1224 Words

1. Introduction Europe experienced two energy crises during the 1970s, which led to escalating demand for energy resources (specifically, oil) that could not be adequately supplied (Bonny, 1987; Donatos Mergos, 1989). This led to a decrease in economic activity that reflected as a decrease in the demand for energy in the form of oil. Alternative energy sources needed to be considered in order to maintain the economic activities of society without further depleting the natural resources. Besides these crises in the 1970s, Greece had shown a remarkable ability to adapt to energy crises experienced in the 5th Century BC (Donatos Mergos, 1989; Botkin Keller, 2012). The current demand for energy is akin to the â€Å"perception of crisis that†¦show more content†¦This essay will highlight some of the issues related to the energy crises and discuss potential solutions that form part of an integrated energy management system. The purpose of the integrated management system would be to ensure that there is a combination of technologies that is customised to the receiving environment, which will ensure that there is â€Å"sustainable energy development† (Botkin Keller, 2012). This research essay will be based on the energy crisis. Open Educational Resources (OER) will be used together with journal cited references. The OER references provides students and teachers with a platform for unrestricted sharing of educational knowledge (Glennie et al., 2013). 2. Potential Solutions to Energy Crisis Sustainable energy development must be developed on a local level using technologies that have little impact on its receiving environment in the immediate future and for future generations (Botkin Keller, 2012). The ultimate aim would be a change in lifestyle to ensure that energy sources on a local level are independent from the current infrastructure setup (Evenson, Zarske Carlson, 2005). The energy use on a local level can be used as a gauge for national policy to steer countries in the direction of sustainable energy development (Ziramba, 2008). 2.1 Renewable Energy Technologies Energy from the sun may be utilised in various methods, as shown in Table 1. Solar thermal technologies (including the solar water heater) has seen an