Global Energy Use and Options for Renewable Economic Growth

This paper presents the status of total energy use worldwide, and individually by the the USA, China, and India. Total energy values and energy use by source category (fossil, nuclear, renewable, other) are assessed from 1990 through 2025. Total assessed values for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide and by the same three countries are also analyzed. The energy and GHG emission data are combined with population and gross domestic product (GDP) data to develop profiles for key indicators of energy intensity, energy efficiency, and GHG intensity worldwide and by the three cited countries. These indicators provide a very reasonable base from which to ponder realistic options for transforming the world and regional economies to more renewable entities while assuring economic growth and environmental sustainability to accommodate expanding populations through the 21st century. The role of weather is highlighted when discussing the daunting challenges in capturing solar flux to convert it to electrical or thermal energy usable in a variety of technologies that could be transformational in a new world economy.