ABSTRACT
The importance of energy in determining the quality of life has been widely recognised. The great increase in living standards achieved by most nations over the last few decades has been accompanied by a corresponding growth in the demand for energy. The strong correlation between the use of energy and the creation of wealth (International Energy Agency, 1994a; United Nations, 1992a) applies to countries with widely differing income per head as shown in Table 6.1. The provision of energy is widely effected by means of the multisource or mixed energy
economy of the type shown in Figure 6.1. The contribution from each energy source varies from country to country. The factors involved are the nature and quantity of indigenous resources, the sophistication or otherwise of energy technology and geographical positions in relation to oil and gas supplies, although energy transportation between countries is increasingly available.
