Límites y potenciales tecnosostenibles de la energíauna mirada heterodoxa y sistémica

  1. de Castro, Carlos 1
  1. 1 Departamento de Física Aplicada. Universidad de Valladolid
Journal:
Arbor: Ciencia, pensamiento y cultura

ISSN: 0210-1963

Year of publication: 2023

Volume: 199

Issue: 807

Type: Article

DOI: 10.3989/ARBOR.2023.807004 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Arbor: Ciencia, pensamiento y cultura

Abstract

Non-renewable energy sources (fossil and nuclear) are limited, both because of their finiteness and because of the ecological and social harm they cause. Renewable energy sources have very large flows in the biosphere. Nevertheless, the technological systems that capture them are not renewable and thus also have technological, ecological and social limitations. Although a good part of the scientific literature estimates that these limiting factors are small compared to the political and economic ones, it is shown here that this literature has been over-estimating the techno-sustainable capacity obtainable throughout this century, largely due to an implicit techno-optimism and a lack of systemic thinking. This potential could be on the order of between half and a quarter of current energy use, which given the necessary transition to renewable sources due to environmental problems points to a strong decrease in the energy matrix that sustains our societies on a global scale.

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