Globally, we get the largest energy from oil, followed by coal, gas, and hydroelectric power. Due to conflicts with Russia, oil, natural gas, and coal prices have reached unsustainable levels.

-What impact will this have on us?

People believe this will result in an energy crisis in the near future, putting energy high on the list of priorities not only for environmental reasons but also to avoid a crisis and ensure we do not run out of energy to live.

-What can we do?

A switch to a more reusable, natural energy source could help in reducing that strain if not avoiding it altogether (though a full transfer to renewable energy takes time)

Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris made various suggestions to the government on this matter, to manage the spike in oil and wheat prices, as well as their impact on the economy, in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war and Western sanctions against Russia.

In a tweet on Monday the 7th of March, Sawiris said that specific measures must be implemented immediately to combat this issue.

The following are some of Sawiris’ suggestions:

-Using alternative energy to replace gas and diesel power generation.

-Exporting liquefied gas from liquid gas stations to Europe in order to take advantage of the high gas price and compensate for Russian gas.

-Increasing the size of wheat-growing fields.

-What is alternative energy?

Alternative energy refers to non-fossil fuel energy sources. This encompasses all renewable energy sources as well as nuclear power. Nuclear power is not a renewable energy source. Renewable energy is generated from non-depleting or replenishable resources that can be replenished during a human lifetime.

-Examples of alternative energy include:

-Solar energy.

-Wind energy.

-Hydro energy.

-Tidal energy.

-Geothermal energy.

-Biomass energy.

-Is it possible to switch to alternative energy any time soon?

Yes, it is.

REmap 2030, the global roadmap created by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), predicts a major role for new, sustainable biomass technologies in attempts to double the share of renewables in the energy mix.

In Canada, biomass is already used to create electricity. At times, Alberta produces more than 3% of its electricity from biomass.

Wood pellets are also one of the rising forms of biomass. The Pellet Fuels Institute, an industry association, reports that more than 80 pellet mills in North America currently produce more than 1 million tons of pellets per year. Markets for wood pellets are well-established, especially in the northeastern United States.

On that, the world-leading certification scheme to ensure high-quality wood pellets, ENplus, reports stable growth. In 2020, the total production of certified pellets was confirmed to be 12.3 million metric tons, while the amount for the year 2021 was foreseen to surpass 14 million metric tons.

In addition to that, the annual growth of the imported value of wood pellets worldwide was reported to be 10% in the period between 2016 to 2020.

Despite the possibly approaching energy crisis -or maybe even aided by it- the demand for alternative energy is on a continuous rise.