ABSTRACT

At present, a growing population of over 7 billion people inhabits the planet. The growth rate is expected to slow each year, however, a population of somewhere between 7.5 and 10.5 billion people by 2050 is anticipated, according to the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat (2009). Natural gas, coal, and petroleum power plants are responsible for over 65% of all electricity today. Many accept these conventional sources of energy, also known as fossil fuels, as reliable long-term energy sources.