Student Blogs on Energy

​Humanity’s energy needs are presently 17 trillion kilowatt hours per year (tkWhrs/yr) and will grow to well over 30 tkWhrs/yr by mid-century. Most of this growth is occurring in developing countries, highlighting the ethical need to provide each person with about 3,000 kWhrs/yr of energy, the amount needed to lift a person out of poverty. With that energy comes the desirable side-effects of increased life span, decreased population growth, and decreased terrorism and war.

But there are environmental effects of increasing energy consumption to this level, and these must be addressed by the world at large. Pollution, contamination of water supplies and air, excessive carbon emissions - these are still problems that have not been solved.

The United States, particularly the State of Washington, leads the way in addressing the environmental effects of energy production and transmission, and is dramatically decreasing all types of emissions in its energy supplies, not just carbon. Few people know that we in Washington State have the highest standard of living, the lowest energy costs, and the least carbon emissions of anywhere in the world.

The next generation will have to lead the United States and the world through this difficult time, and we will need them to be innovative and smart. This energy website is a forum for this next generation, embodied by the students of the Tri-Cities and eastern Washington State, to communicate their ideas and solutions to the rest of us. We hope this will stimulate discussion and lead many students to take up the challenge, and the careers, needed to solve this most global of problems.​