Rethink Energy!
At the moment we think in terms of electricity, petroleum or natural gas. But there is another way of "thinking in energy": Energy services!
Energy is something strange. Everyone keeps some concept of energy in her or his mind. Without energy everything is nothing. We know that energy is important for our personal survival - food is the energy source which keeps our bodies alive. On the other hand we know that energy is important for survival in the complex system of our society.
At the moment we think about energy as something which can be filled in cans or transported by power lines. This is the most common concept of energy. But this concept will lead to wrong conclusions. We are seeking for answers to questions like "Where can we find new natural gas ressources?" or "Should we use nuclear energy in the long run?". There is nothing wrong with these questions. But these are not the primary questions.
The better sequence of questions is:
- What service do we need?
- What are the processes/systems which can deliver that service?
- Which process, service or combination of both can deliver that service with a minimum of ressources in terms of energy and matter?
- Which primary energies can be used?
- Where can we find sufficient ressources?
An energy service centered thinking provides the best solutions for our basic demand. Let us view two examples:
- Light and Lamps:
Light is an energy service. We need - e.g. to read a newspaper - some amount of light of a certain quality like spectral composition or stability.
Windows provide natural light during the day. Flourescent lamps, LED light fixtures or advanced incandescents provide light during the night.
If we think electricity-centered - we will forget to optimize windows to provide light. The combination of windows and different lamps will provide the optimized solution for the task to provide light for a certain purpose. - Temperature and House heating systems:
We need something like 20 degree celsius, a certain humidity and air exchange rate in our dwellings.
Heating system, windows to gain solar energy and walls which store heat and reduce heat losses are - combined with our behavior - the system components which have to be optimized together.
In the beginning of a houses construction the "energy source" doesn't matter. Only the service described above matters.
At the end a small natural gas powered heating might be the optimized solution for a well insulated house - much better then wood pellet heatings or heat pump driven systems.
Rethink energy: Firstly ask "What do I/we need?" and secondly ask "How can it be provided by the use of energy?"