Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The driving force of changing lifestyles is, in some cases, technological develop-
ment. On the one hand, this mechanistic view glosses over cultural, religious, and
educational differences, but on the other hand, it seems to be rather convincing in
explaining the homogeneity of consumption patterns in many parts of the world.
There is a convergence between consumption patterns and economic systems,
and literature shows that consumption patterns between developed and less deve-
loped countries are becoming more and more similar.
For example, this manifests itself clearly in the impact of electricity consump-
tion, as seen in
Table 13.3
.
The share of electricity in energy consumption has grown significantly, from
8.8% in 1973 to 17.2% in 2008.
Table 13.3 World's final energy consumption shares (%)
The growing importance of electricity in modern society results from the fact
that, once produced, it can be transported easily over long distances and is readily
used in a variety of homes and offices. In this way it differs from other sources of
energy such as solid fuels (e.g., coal) or liquid fuels (such as oil). In addition, it can
be converted with almost 100% efficiency to mechanical work.
A shortcoming of electricity is that it is frequently produced from fossil fuels, so
it is produced from fuels that are expensive and highly pollutant. This is the reas-
on why electricity production from renewable energy sources (wind, photovoltaics,
and others) is presently receiving so much attention.
