Future energy: how to secure energy after depletion of resources?

However the strain on our supplies of oil is increasing all the time. Demand for oil will continue to grow over the next 20 years. The European Commission estimates that by 2030 the 27 countries in the European Union will have to import 93% of the oil that they need. What’s more, it seems likely that existing sources of oil will be unable to meet this growing demand. Oil will continue to be a hugely important energy source in the years to come, but it is clear that we need to develop technologies and energy sources that allow us to make the most efficient use of oil possible.

Plastics are one way to help us make the best use of the oil that we have. This might seem contradictory at first – if plastics are made from oil, how can they help save oil? The fact is that plastics save so much energy – whether it be in packaging, lightweight cars, or insulation for buildings – that they more than “pay back” the oil needed to make them. What’s more, very little oil is needed to make plastics in the first place – only 4% of the world’s oil supply is made into plastics.

Renewable energy sources will also be very important in helping us to make the best use possible of our oil supplies. The EU has set a target to have 20% of energy produced from renewable sources by 2020, meaning that governments will be finding ways to increase the use of technologies such as wind, wave and solar power.

Since plastics are basically solid oil, they can also be used as an energy source at the end of their useful lives. Many countries generate energy from the waste plastics that they cannot recycle, helping to save yet more oil.