With myriad number of electricity plants that have mushroomed all across the world, the present global power generation capacity has manifolded to over 25,000 Terra Watt-hour. According to the Washington Post, in 2012 itself over 62000 power plants were in service in this universe. In an average, the 7.7 billion people on earth consume a whooping 300 billion units (KWh) in just a day. But still hunger for energy is mounting rapidly. And to meet this ever-growing energy demand countries are building more and more power plants.
The same electricity which revolutionized the world is leading us to catastrophe now. Electricity which is often synonymised with light and brightness is presently paralleled with global warming and climate change. Electricity is not a problem as such but the way it is produced is actually. Among several methods, burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas is the dominant way in the energy world. Even the first public power plant “Edison Electric Light Station was a coal-fired unit. Supposedly, thermal power plant was considered as easiest technology and it was believed that the world had plenty of fossil fuel.
How long the fossil fuels can last?
This story is from the January - February 2022 edition of Scientific India.
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This story is from the January - February 2022 edition of Scientific India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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