Our Planet's Finite Resources

Since the oil crisis of 1973, oil-dependent nations have been acutely aware that this resource is finite - there are limited supplies of oil in the world. The same is true for other fossil fuels used in conventional energy production and for uranium, the fuel used in nuclear energy production.

Under substantial political pressure, scientists have devoted considerable research to attempting to predict "peak oil" and the decline of oil production. These projections are the basis for estimates of steeply climbing fuels costs, escalating conflicts over access to these limited resources, and ultimately the end of oil - that petrifying moment when fossil fuel resources are no longer accessible, despite our best engineering efforts.

While this line of thinking has most commonly been used to spur on additional oil and gas exploration, it has also provided the impetus for more fevered investigation into renewable energy sources - those that won't run out and leave us in the breach.

Renewable Energy

Current scientific knowledge about the origins of wind, waves, tides, river currents, sunlight, and the heat produced in the Earth's core suggest that these phenomena will continue to occur just as they do today ad infinitum. In other words, these are renewable resources. They will continue to exist, regardless of whether we harness their potential.

Thus, the development of technologies that allow the efficient conversion of these energy sources into useable electrical or mechanical energy has been an attractive pursuit for many public and private enterprises. In most cases, these are not new technologies, but rather updates and innovations on technologies that are centuries or even millennia old. Windmills and waterwheels were proven to be useful providers of mechanical energy long before the industrial revolution.

Like many human inventions, early windmills and waterwheels have been much improved upon since their introduction. This innovation continues, as modern engineers seek to continually improve the efficiency of renewable energy technologies, while also minimizing any detrimental effects, such as noise emissions or impacts on wildlife.

Clean Energy

Although "clean" and "renewable" are often used together, they have different connotations. Energy that is truly "clean" is produced without hazardous solid, liquid, or gaseous waste. In particular, "clean" energy avoids the emission of fine particulate matter, greenhouse gases, and sulphur and nitrogen oxides, which contribute to poor air quality and associated health effects, global climate change, and acid rain respectively.

Not all renewable energy sources are clean and not all clean energy sources are renewable. Trees can regenerate (i.e. are renewable on a scale of several decades), but biomass burning releases particulate matter (i.e. is not clean). Although nuclear energy does not release air pollution (and is therefore arguably 'clean' by some definitions), its uranium fuel is a finite resource.

Our Commitment

M.K. Ince and Associates Ltd. is committed to the promotion and development of energy sources that are both clean and renewable. We provide engineering, environmental assessment, and biological consulting services to proponents of clean, renewable energy projects. For more information, please feel free to contact us.