ABSTRACT
Growth in energy consumption is an essential concomitant of economic growth. The growth in energy consumption broadly reflects the rate of capital accumulation since capital accumulation in large measure consists of equipment designed to harness inanimate energy resources. Significant curtailment of the rate of growth of energy consumption cannot be accomplished, therefore, without curtailment of the rate of capital accumulation and of economic growth. While energy consumption in the United States has risen as the economy has grown, the ratio of energy use per dollar of real GNP has declined. In response to the current stringency in energy supply and the concern for environmental quality, it is being widely suggested that growth in energy use be curtailed. This is sometimes coupled with the suggestion that economic growth be curtailed. Nuclear generation also offers the means for circumventing the problem of energy-resource depletion.
