THE FUTURE OF FUEL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13921, 25 March 1909, Page 2

THE FUTURE OF FUEL.

Sir William Ramsay speaks quite pessimistically concerning the futu-<-of fuel an dthe sources of energy generally. The available coal supply will nr t last longer than from 500 to 800 years and the other sources of energy, wood, oil and water, are all limited in quantity or in availability. Within two centuries, he thinks, the high prices tf coal will render the conditions of living very difficult. The oilfields zro rapidly becoming exhausted, and although a source of energy such as water is not to be despised, it foimf a very small fraction of the energy needed. The use of tides has been suggested, but the capital cost of any installation of machinery capable of extracting power from the tides and the danger of destruction by storms renders the idea of obtaining power from the tides a chimerical one. "In hot countries engines- have been worked ty solar heat," Sir William observes, "but even granting that such a process can be applied in England — where sunshine is unfortunately only too rare — the cost of ecessary, and, again, the danger of destruction by storms, pla^f that source of energy practically out cf the question." There are only two other possible alternatives, it seems. One is .to obtain a supply of heat in the form of steam by drilling a hole in the earth's crust at least .ten miles deep. Such a project has been considered from a practical point of view by. Mr. Parsons, of turbine, fame, and his verdict is that the execution of the project would cost £5,000,000, and could not be accomplished in less than eighty years. The only other source of energy which is conceivably at the disposal of the human race would rest upon some discovery of ;a -means o extracting enefgy from the "ether, and in view of the, best' scientific opinion the possibility of suph a discovery is in the liighest degre remote, and should not be qounted on for practical purposes. Sir ' William Ramsay suggests that the State will nave to promote the economy of fuel by sliitabel legislation, prohibiting, for example, the wasteful consumption of coal for domestic purposes, the waste of the fuel contained m city refuse and. sewage, and the use of machines that are obviously extravagant. He thinks that m two centuries the people of England may be emigrating to countries where fuel is plentiful, those who remain reverting to agriculture.