Answer to Question #21380 in Mechanics | Relativity for M Waqas

Question

We have heard a lot about the "energy crisis". Would it be more accurate to speak of a "power crisis"?

Answer 1

What we are looking at is a problem with how energy is changed from one form to another, and distributed to its point of use.
There is no "energy" crisis in exact terms, as there is sufficient energy in the global system to meet our needs many times over, but making that energy into a useful form (eg electricity) is the issue, as it is restricted by so many factors.
The real crisis is financial and political. If there were the political will, and sufficient funds to invest, there would be no problem at all, but we don't live in an ideal world, so the "crisis" is a balancing act between the possible, the practical and the affordable.
It isn't a "power" crisis, because power is only a measure of the work which energy does. Thus, you can have a lot of energy (for example, a suspended weight has a lot of potential energy) without any significant power being generated.