Overview

[ Note: This chapter supplements the main contents of the book, and often some amount of redundancy has been introduced intentionally. The answers consist of the author's own opinion and words based on his knowledge and experience in the subject.]

Q. What is the global energy generation scenario and the role of power electronics in that perspective?

A. Energy consumption in the world has been increasing by leaps and bounds in order to improve our standard of living. In fact, per-capita energy consumption has been the barometer of a nation's economic prosperity. The United States has the highest living standard in the world. It has around 5% of the world's population (6.5 billion), but consumes 25% of the total energy. Japan on the other hand, consumes 5% of total energy with 2% of world population. China and India together, with 38% of the world's population, consume only one-tenth the amount consumed by the United States. However, some developing countries (such as India and China) are now marching toward massive industrialization, which carries with it a corresponding increase in energy demand. As a result, we are experiencing a global energy shortage that is expected to have far-reaching consequences in the future. At present, around 28% of global total energy comes from coal, 21% from natural gas, 38% from oil, 6% from nuclear plants, and the remaining 7% from renewable sources (mainly hydro and wind). The U.S. energy generation scenario follows a similar pattern. It is interesting to note that...