Energy
Petroleum - a practical, dense, transportable and storable form of chemical energy
Fossil fuels have contributed to the progress of our civilization and are an essential part of our system of life. Without fuel, the second Industrial Revolution would never have taken place. It is transportable, cumulative and usable for more than 8,000 hours per year and handling it involves hardly any risks. Its efficiency does not depend on non-controllable aspects such as wind or clouds.
Other types of energy are not dense enough; the best example is aircraft, as it is impossible to imagine an aircraft weighing 300 tons taking off using only photovoltaic panels and batteries.
Furthermore, what fuel can move a vehicle weighing one ton over 500 km with only 50 litres of diesel? Currently there is no other fuel with this extraordinary energy density using a small and simple storage device.
However, these fossil fuels give off carbon dioxide during combustion. This is the same carbon dioxide that was captured millions of years ago to make crude oil. The problem stems from the fact that nowadays it has been proven that this same CO2 has a big effect on our environment.
Black gold is the pillar of the economy in the industrialised world but its geopolitics and environmental viability oblige us to search for other alternative resources.
