Constantine Mantopoulos - Energy management in the 21st century

Energy management means so many things to so many different people. If one is in Amsterdam, the term has a different meaning than it does to one in Sydney, Seychelles, Rome, Kabul or San Fransisco. To a large degree, the meaning "energy management" has (to an individual or concern) depends upon the availability and diversity of energy in his/her region. In N.Y.C. nearly all our energy comes from the standardized resources of hydro-electric/natural gas utilities and fossil fuel enterprises, while in Kabul most energy is from neighboring countries, due to shortages of locally generated energy, causing daily interruptions of power. In this lack of diversity, how does one manage energy? True energy management should include the use/application of numerous resources working together for the optimum use/management of energy. These resources include but are not limited to photovoltaic, solar thermal, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and smart control technology. The premise that energy must be supplied by only one resource is foolhardy and promotes neither management nor growth/prosperity. If the available energy is X and our monthly usage needs areY, it is the proper management of X that will provide continuous energy to meet (and slightly exceed) Y. It is an accepted fact that our world's energy resources are diminishing and we will soon experience a far greater shortage than we have experienced to date. Leaders across the globe continue to admonish their citizens about conserving energy and utilizing more eco-friendly resources. All these actions are part of a global plan to change the way we think of energy and how we manage energy. Our technology has advanced to the point where we have the capabilities to manage our energy consumption remotely. This can be accomplished by utilizing combination systems that encompass fossil fuels as the basis for back-up; solar energy generation for daily consumption; computerized info technology for controlling such consumption by regions, zones, or even rooms independently of each other, limiting waste. While it is true that we have not mastered all aspects of energy storage, by incorporating all the tools available to us for optimum management we enable energy to be accessible over larger areas around the globe. Our efforts have proven to us that learning to work with nature rather than fighting her is more prudent. The power we can harness from the sun today far exceeds what we thought possible a mere ten years ago. The control of this power we have available through the interconnection with low-voltage technologies far exceeds what we thought possible a mere five years ago. Strides are being made every day. Who knows, what additional advances there will be at the writing of this very article? Constantine Mantopoulos is the vice president of Solar Energy NY Corp., Astoria. N.Y.