The Future of Energy

Soaring energy prices, increasingly violent weather patterns, indicators of climate change, and global initiatives make it clear that sources of sustainable energy must be tapped and utilized.  Our technologically advanced society can and should use its collective intelligence to develop long-term solutions that preserve our planet and its ecosphere.

Efficiency and Reduced Consumption

Immediate impacts on energy use can be realized by implementing energy efficiency measures.  When properly applied, reducing building energy use can increase comfort, health, and safety of building occupants.  Lifestyle changes are sometimes required for the reduction of energy consumption, but the combined benefits of reducing energy cost and global impact are compelling reasons to make small changes to a daily routine.  Increasingly, technologies are available to help with these changes: remote control systems can automatically shut off power to reduce phantom load (a contributor to baseload energy) , and programmable thermostats can be used in a sophisticated way to reduce heating and cooling loads when a building is unoccupied and the energy is not needed.

Energy Generation

Geothermal, biomass, solar, wind energy, and hydropower technologies are continuing to be developed to replace fossil fuels as primary energy sources.  To enact the energy goals of President Barack Obama for the United States to use 10% of its electrical energy from renewable sources by 2012, and 25% by 2025, these technologies will require substantial additional development to be adopted into the mainstream.  We expect to see continued innovation in available technologies, both for energy generation and its application to our buildings, vehicles, and overall energy consumption.