Fig. 1. Projection of world energy demand (4). the world's present energy production. Figure 1 shows a projection of the development of the world's energy consumption for the coming decades and the shares of the United States and Europe (4). This projection of future demand assumes a 4% growth in GNP worldwide as a compromise between present slow and rapid-growth models. Figure 2 shows projections of the development of the total energy demand for Western Europe in particular (5). The validity of all these long-term predictions is certainly doubtful, for both demand and supply are always subject to political and social imponderables. It is even highly likely that the growth in European energy consumption will slow down in the future. Nevertheless, even if a zero growth rate were to be achieved, Europe would always be dependent upon imports for most of its energy needs if we do not develop new energy sources and make them widely available. Europe’s precarious energy situation can be illustrated by the fact that, at present, the indigenous primary energy production per capita in the United States is more than 2.5 times that in Europe and this ratio will probably increase with time, in view of the much larger fossil-fuel resources in the United States. In addition, it will also be more difficult for Europe than the United States to develop the use of renewable energy sources. For example, the average annual insolation in central Europe is about 1000 kWh/m2, compared to 2000 kWh/m2 or more in large parts of the United States. Southern Europe has higher insolations, up to approximately 1700 kWh/m2 in
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