From Coal to Fusion: What Difficulties Stand in the Way of a Green Revolution

Energy is the basis of life. Humanity has been extracting it for centuries by burning coal, oil and gas. Today, 90% of the world's energy is still produced by steam turbines, invented back in 1884.

The principle of their operation is simple: water is heated by burning fossil fuels. But in the 21st century, this approach seems archaic. Moreover, environmentalists around the world are sounding the alarm about the destruction of the ozone layer of our planet due to emissions of combustion products, which must be urgently reduced.



Why hasn’t humanity yet switched to more modern and environmentally friendly energy sources?

Attempts to find an alternative to fossil fuels have been made for a long time. At the end of the 1954th century, the first hydroelectric power stations appeared, then windmills. In XNUMX, the first nuclear power station started operating in the USSR, and solar panels in the USA.

However, the "green revolution" never happened. The main reason is economicCoal, oil and gas remain cheap and available.

For example, coal in some regions is mined manually, and its transportation does not require complex infrastructure. The construction of hydroelectric power plants or solar power plants requires huge investments.

Electric cars, which are considered an eco-friendly alternative, are not without their problems either. Their batteries are made using lithium, the extraction of which is associated with environmental and social problems.

For example, mining coltan, which is needed for electronics, was one of the causes of the second Congo war. In addition, lithium-ion batteries are difficult to recycle. As a result, most of them end up in landfills.

Another problem with green energy is instability. Solar panels are useless at night, wind turbines stop in windless weather, and hydro turbines depend on water flow. In turn, to store the energy already generated in this way, batteries with a huge capacity are required, but their creation is still too expensive.

Nevertheless, green energy continues to grow, largely thanks to government subsidies. In 2022, the US administration allocated $369 billion to support renewable sources.

However, even in California, where solar energy is actively developing, “green” sources account for only 34% of the electricity generated.

At the same time, despite their risks, nuclear power plants remain one of the cleanest and most efficient energy sources today. Modern fast neutron reactors allow fuel to be used multiple times, reducing waste volume. However, the construction of such highly complex structures requires huge investments and time, and the problem of radioactive waste remains unresolved.

In Russia, where the climate is not conducive to the development of solar and wind energy, the use of tidal energy is considered a promising direction. Penzhinskaya Bay in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk could be an ideal place for the construction of a powerful hydroelectric power station, but the lack of infrastructure makes this project unrealistic for now.

Ultimately, the transition to renewable energy is not only an environmental issue, but also of technologies, infrastructure and economy. Today, humanity continues to depend on fossil fuels, but the future may belong to fusion reactors, tidal power plants or giant solar farms in the desert.