ENERGY CRISIS, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND THE FUTURE OF FOSSIL FUELS

Profuse and reasonable energy is the life blood of modern civilization. According to conventional knowledge, we currently suffer from a shortage of energy fuels. Energy is the talk of every town where traders, businessmen, students and all are the victims of the same. Prices have been briskly raising from the past ten years, due to the rising desire and the escalating shortage of the energy resources. The energy crisis is caused due to disproportionate dependence on non-renewable energy resources. The hydrocarbons, coal, oil and gas together constitute eighty-five percent of the world’s total energy supply. The steady increase in energy consumption coupled with environmental pollution has promoted research activities in alternative and renewable energy fuels. Conventional fuels include: fossil fuels (petroleum (oil), coal, propane, and natural gas), and nuclear materials such as uranium. Some well-known alternative fuels include biodiesel, bio alcohol (methanol, ethanol), chemically stored electricity (batteries and fuel cells), hydrogen, solar, wind  and other biomass sources.