Nelson Ingram

UWRT 1103 Inquiry Resources

List of Key Words

Oil Supply
Sustainable Energy
Future of Oil
Oil Companies and Renewable Energy
The keywords that I used lead to sources that paint a broad picture of what is happening in the
world of energy, specifically the world of oil and future energy sources. These keywords are all
connected. The future of oil is dependent on the oil supply, and sustainable and renewable energy
are based heavily on the future of oil. Keywords like oil substitutes and future oil did not
lead to any real helpful sources. The order of the words that were searched played a big role in
the sources that were produced.
Concept Map

Synthesis
It seems that the oil crisis is real but it may not be as imminent as we may think. Based on the
sources above the expected date for the peak need for oil is approximately in 2037, that is 20
years from now. This indicates that the want for oil will decrease after 2037. The decrease need
for oil may be more gradual than the increase in need for oil, so it is not that the world will wake
up one day and just not use oil. However, eventually the cost for oil would be so high that it is no
longer a viable option for fuel. It would be similar to running your lawnmower with gold
nuggets. It also seems that the world of renewable energy has taken steps in the right direction
for becoming our normal source of energy. Recent studies have shown that solar and wind power
are extremely viable sources of everyday energy if there is enough generation capacity. This
means that a large number of solar panels and wind turbines are going to have to be put up to
meet our needs. I think that it will take a full investment in sustainable and renewable energy by
the people and by governments to make renewable energy the source we use on a daily basis. It
Nelson Ingram
UWRT 1103 Inquiry Resources

is interesting to point out that if renewable energy does take off that it is predicted to be more
cost effective than oil is. This means the price of oil will drop dramatically and oil companies
will not be able to support themselves. So, if we continue using oil it will become so expensive
no one can afford it and if we stop using oil it will become obsolete and worthless. Either way oil
companies will go out of business. The idea that oil is causing global warming will also push us
to adopt more renewable sources of energy. The problem with renewable energy right now is that
it is not completely reliable. While some experts predict that it can supply us with all the energy
we need other experts believe that it would be better used alongside oil to produce energy. Is
taking thousands of acres of land for solar panels and wind turbines a healthy alternative to
burning oil? Or can we use existing structures to harbor the needed solar panels? Is fusion a
possible source of lasting energy?
References
Andreas Kleinschmidt. The future of oil & gas: Interview with Head of Research at OPEC.
Youtube, 6:48, published October 12, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=RCN1hRHq32o

Ian Johnston. Record number of oil and gas firms go bust as renewable energy revolution
begins to bite. Independent, last modified January 03, 2017,
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/oil-gas-firms-industry-bust-renewable
energy-revolution-biofuel-solar-panel-wind-power-opec-saudi-a7507016.html

Jacqueline Howard. Heres What The Future Of Energy Might Look Like. And Its Pretty
Amazing. The Huffington Post, last modified July 07, 2015,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/07/future-of-energy-video_n_7410468.html

John H. Wood, Gary R. Long, David F. Morehouse. Long-Term World Oil Supply Scenarios.
Energy Information Administration.
https://www.eia.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/feature_articles/2004/worldoilsupply/pdf/it
os04.pdf

Nathanael Massey. Solution to Renewable Energy's Intermittency Problem: More Renewable

Energy. Scientific American, last modified December 12, 2012,
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/solution-to-renewable-energy-more
renewable-energy/