“Natural gas and oil and coal are very much a part of our immediate energy future. There’s no doubt about it,” said Jane.
“Jane” asked that her real name not be used out of concern that her opinions may limit her job options. Jane is currently a freshman at MIT studying chemical engineering.
Jane said that renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, are promising but require a lot of improvements before they are viable sources for our daily lives. Storing the energy that the wind turbines or solar panels create is the biggest obstacle. Essentially, scientists need to find a way to put the energy of the sun or the wind into a battery that can be used at a later time.
“Renewables are intermittent,” said Jane. “You can’t just only turn on the lights when the wind is blowing. That’s just not how our lifestyles work.”
Jane is a member of the undergraduate community in the MIT Energy Club. As part of the team, Jane has access to multiple viewpoints on energy and academic resources. She said that the club includes students who study all types of energy so the community has an open mind when discussing energy solutions.
“So we definitely have a lot of viewpoints and I think people as usually congenial with each other,” said Jane. “They’re more open to discussion than anything else.”
In the fall, the undergraduate Energy Club community is planning a mixer with other college energy and environmental colleges in the Boston area. Jane said it’s this focus on pursuing all energy options and conversing that sets the Energy Club apart from advocacy groups.
“They have sort of an agenda, while our agenda is about educating undergraduates about energy in general.”
Jane said that demanding no more fossil fuel infrastructure in the state, as Students for a Just and Stable Future does, is idealistic. According to her, fracking and natural gas will have to serve as bridges as we wait for renewable energy technology to catch up to the earth’s demands.
“Can we shift more from coal to natural gas, which is fifty percent less CO2 emitting? Probably,” said Jane. “It’s more environmentally friendly in relative terms.”
Methane, what natural gas comes from, is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2. But Jane says there is probably little to no methane leakage when harvesting natural gas, because that just isn’t good business.
“Just from an economic standpoint, if you are an oil and gas company, what you want is to continue your core business,” said Jane. “So the more studies you do the more likely you are to be able to support fracking.”
When we discuss alternative energy, scientists and policy makers have habit of only considering the lifestyle changes of the affluent, according to Jane. Those with the power need to consider how the other half lives before the politicians take away their access to fossil fuels.
“Technology is evolving but I think as a political move for the state it would be impractical to tell the people their energy prices are going to double because we are only going to build wind and solar,” said Jane. “And that would be a very real result of this because renewable is more expensive for now.”
Jane said for now, the energy movement needs to consider other options before renewables. She said she plans to go into the oil and gas industry when she graduates, at least to start out.
“These companies are at a turning point right now,” said Jane. “Are these companies going to stay with their core business or are they going to fizzle out? Not in 10 years or 50 years, because oil and gas will still be relevant. But in 100 years.”
rswmccubbin 