Renewable Energy
   
It was realised 100 years ago that known oil reserves would be exhausted within 30 years and so many attempts were made to develop machines using wind, waves, solar and geothermal energy. Such machines have been built but find limited uses in specialised applications and specific geographical locations. Solar energy machines for instance are used in remote equatorial regions to purify water and generate electricity.		  
Windmills generating Megawatts of power have been built and have the advantage that in wintry weather more energy is produced when needed most. Geothermal power stations were also built but were expensive and needed very precise geological conditions. Wave generators can also be found particularly off the north coast of Scotland but they are expensive and are now no more than curiosities from the 1990s. The need for renewable sources of energy was of importance in 1986 when it was realised that oil was running out and the outcry against nuclear waste production from the old fission reactors was at its height. This need no longer exists since the problems of fusion reactors were solved many years ago and these pollution free machines using dueterium from sea water are found in every town and city


Oil
 
Known reserves of oil were predicted to last 30 years and so were expected to run out in the year 2016. However remote earth sensing by satellite led to the discovery of new sources particularly in the Atlantic Ocean. Drilling techniques developed in the North Sea meant that Britain was in a unique position to lead the world in the recovery of these deep sea deposits. These supplies of oil are too valuable to produce petrol and to burn in power stations as happened last century, and are used instead as the raw material for the manufacture of various chemicals, fertilisers and synthetic drugs. This Oil also helps the balance of payments and provides much needed employment both onshore and offshore.		  


Fusion Reactors
 
FUSION Reactors using dueterium from sea water and operating at 100's of millions of degrees Centigrade are the Power sources of the 21st Century. These reactors had to wait until the problems of containing the very hot plasma were solved. Processes found inside stars whereby lighter atoms are fused together with the release of huge amounts of energy are used in these compact pollution free reactors. They are to be found in most towns and cities and so the need for power distribution cables throughout the country is no longer necessary and the fact that they do not produce waste material and that a plentiful supply of fuel is available in the form of dueterium from sea water means they are found even in the poorest countries.		  


Photosynthesis
 
Photosynthesis - the process whereby plants use the energy in sunlight to fix carbon dioxide and produce carbohydrates has been well understood for many years. Using techniques developed in bio - technology, new crops which accelerate the process have been created which allow the carbohydrates so produced to be used as a viable source of fuel, particularly in Third World countries where solar energy is most available.

 

  
These crops are easily harvested and with fast growing genetically engineered species, the efficiency of this means of trapping solar energy is being improved all the time and has led to the creation of 'Energy' farms.


Housing
 


Houses nowadays are built to much better standards of insulation than 100 years ago. This together with protection against the pollution effects of acid rain and the provision of heat pumps extracting heat from the soil means that the energy demands of houses are considerably reduced. These effects also reduced the demand for more power stations in the early part of the 21st century and provided a breathing space until the Fusion reactor was produced.

 

 
1. Undersea dwellings are energy efficient, making use of the insulation of the surrounding water.
2. Some modern houses offer protection against pollution as well as all round insulation.
3. Solar panels have the disadvantage of producing less energy in winter - when it is needed most.
4 Very efficient heat pumps extract energy from soil as in this exhibition centre.


Nuclear Waste
 
The old Fission Reactors used in the latter pert of the last century split the Uranium nucleus with release of energy but also with the production of Nuclear waste products. Although the new Fusion reactors are pollution free the problem remains of of handling the waste produced a hundred years ago. Many of the waste products have very long half-lives so it is a long term problem ensuring that the waste is stored safely.		  
Some attempts have been made at firing the stuff into space since rocket technology is more reliable than last century but most is fused into glass blocks and buried underground. The Fission reactors filled a gap in the demand for energy 100 years ago but the legacy of nuclear waste means that continuing efforts have to be made to monitor the state of their Waste material.