A Short Assesment of Malaysia's Energy Future
Thursday, 31. August 2006, 13:41:28
It must be emphasised that Peak Oil is a liquid fuels problem first and foremost. Malaysia no longer uses oil for any significant generation of electricity.
However, this statement hides the fact that our reserves of Natural Gas will not last as long as we thought. Simple arithmetic will tell you that if we continue to use our NG at present rates of growth (~5%), it will be gone in less than 25 years. Using up this precious resource for transport is the worst thing we could possibly do when we keep in mind that more than 70% of Malaysia's power production comes from NG.
I've looked at some very basic wind charts and unfortunately the winds around M'sia are just too slow. Maybe some areas will prove feasible but generally wind is not a player.
Of course, we have a lot of sun and thus, M'sia should focus on harnessing solar power. We don't have as much sun as a desert due to our cloud cover but we still have much more sun than Europe.
I am very skeptical of biodiesel not because I doubt it's potential to deliver fuel but rather the prospect of an unhealthy competition between our greed for fuel versus our need for food. Not forgetting the inevitable destruction of whole ecologies. We must limit reliance on this option as far as possible.
West M'sia has almost exhausted it's ability to produce more hydroelectricity. The only major growth area is is East M'sia but of course EM has no need for all that power. We either set up whole industries over there or channel all that power to WM. Either one is an expensive option. Like biodiesel, hydro causes great ecological damage. Pros: no fuel is required, nuff said.
I used to think that nuclear could solve M'sia Looming Energy Crisis but I'm not so sure now. This option if pursued will only encourage us to continue wasting energy and divert resources from better alternatives. The technical and financial risks are great even when compared to the rewards. On the other hand, Iran's determination to develop it's nuclear power generation despite being a major supplier of oil & natural gas is a sign of nuclear's viability.
It seems that we have no choice but to expand our use of coal if we wish to secure our energy security. It is good to know that our government appreciates this fact by building a number of massive coal-fired powerplants across the country.
Uranium reserves.mht
World Uranium Reserves - Nuclear Engineer.mht
World Nuclear Reactor Consumption
However, this statement hides the fact that our reserves of Natural Gas will not last as long as we thought. Simple arithmetic will tell you that if we continue to use our NG at present rates of growth (~5%), it will be gone in less than 25 years. Using up this precious resource for transport is the worst thing we could possibly do when we keep in mind that more than 70% of Malaysia's power production comes from NG.
I've looked at some very basic wind charts and unfortunately the winds around M'sia are just too slow. Maybe some areas will prove feasible but generally wind is not a player.
Of course, we have a lot of sun and thus, M'sia should focus on harnessing solar power. We don't have as much sun as a desert due to our cloud cover but we still have much more sun than Europe.
I am very skeptical of biodiesel not because I doubt it's potential to deliver fuel but rather the prospect of an unhealthy competition between our greed for fuel versus our need for food. Not forgetting the inevitable destruction of whole ecologies. We must limit reliance on this option as far as possible.
West M'sia has almost exhausted it's ability to produce more hydroelectricity. The only major growth area is is East M'sia but of course EM has no need for all that power. We either set up whole industries over there or channel all that power to WM. Either one is an expensive option. Like biodiesel, hydro causes great ecological damage. Pros: no fuel is required, nuff said.
I used to think that nuclear could solve M'sia Looming Energy Crisis but I'm not so sure now. This option if pursued will only encourage us to continue wasting energy and divert resources from better alternatives. The technical and financial risks are great even when compared to the rewards. On the other hand, Iran's determination to develop it's nuclear power generation despite being a major supplier of oil & natural gas is a sign of nuclear's viability.
It seems that we have no choice but to expand our use of coal if we wish to secure our energy security. It is good to know that our government appreciates this fact by building a number of massive coal-fired powerplants across the country.
Uranium reserves.mht
World Uranium Reserves - Nuclear Engineer.mht
World Nuclear Reactor Consumption
WIDGETIZE
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