Evening star., 1954-10-20
Worlds Power Needs
Greater Than Supplies
Educator Believes Nations
Will Fight Over Energy
BY Thomos r. Henry

Inc WOriQS neeo Tor power, IN the
face of rapidly expanding population.
is increasing faster than present pre-
dictable sources.
This probably is true even II It ever
becomes possible to harness" the new
unharnessable energy of the hydrogen
bomb reaction.
Such is the situation outlined for the
American Chemical Society by DIR. c. c.
Furnas. chancellor Of the University OF
Buffalo.
"A big squeeze in the twin forces Of
explosive population growth and in
creasing industrialization could result
in destructive global warfare unless
answers to the energy problem are at
hand" DR.. Furnas said. Nations have
fought for food and they will fight for
energy"
The present unprecedented popula-
tion upswing will increase world popu-
lation from "a billion today to 6 to 8
billion by the year 2050 and the United
States population alone century hence
will be at least 375 million.
Minimum Needs Great.
"If world population increases three
fold" he said, "then by the year 2050
the world need for annual energy out
put will have increased % times. This
is minimum figure. It implies that
during the coming century the world
level Of industrialization will come up
only to the level of the United States
in 1854. But the safest rough estimate
is that the bona fide energy demands
in 1854 will be at least tenfold greater
and may rise hundredfold. To meet
the demands of the lower figure will be
difficult. The top figure will be i'm
possible unless som ething new is
added"
The present world energy require
ments, he says, are approximately q
quintillion British thermal units, or the
amount of heat required to raise the
temperature Of one pound of water one
degree Fahrenheit. The total energy
from fossil fuels-coal, oil, gas and the
Gke-iS about 80 times this, recoverable
at no more than double the costs at
present.
It has been calculated that the world
reserves Of uranium and thorium are
equal to about SIS times the present
annual energy requirement-this only
on the assumption that much more
efficient methods Of utilization than
any known at present are developed.
But atomic energy always will be
stationary energy. It never can take
the place Of gasoline, for example.
Suns Power.
Tapping the suns power might seem
to be a panacea, he said, because the
total solar energy reaching the earth
each day is about $4,000 times the
present requirements. The supply is
perpetual.
The fact remains, he pointed out,
that no good methods Of utilization
have yet been proposed.
I'm the long rum" he said, "the pres
ent technology will not be sufficient to
solve the energy problem"
He suggested fundamental research
along these lines:
Improving the energy of combustion.
I'VE have been burning things for
several thousand years." he said, "but
we still do not have an exact UNDER
standing of the process"
Research on controlled nuclear fis-
sion to parallel present efforts. IF
fusion reaction" DR.. Furnas said,
could be adequately controlled, the
production costs of large blocks of
power might take sharp drop. This
would not necessarily be the hydrogen
bomb reaction. This might bring de-
Sirable large-Scale new uses-such as
irrigation water from sea water-into
the realm of possibility"
Special attempts to solve the liquid
fuel problem for automobiles. A de-
vice is needed weighing from 200 to
300 pounds which would store enough
electricity to propel an automobile for
500 miles.