Answer to Question 1
Proponents of the hard energy path believe that centralization leads to
economies of scale and to the most appropriate partitioning of resources. Also, as Samuel
Insull pointed out a century ago, a great number of consumers is more predicable than
individual demand. This allows electric utilities, for instance, to have less generating capacity
than the sum of the consumers' generating capacities.
Proponents of the soft path believe that dispersal of sources and the simplicity of the
technology can satisfy the demands for energy. The sources and receivers of the end use
energy are matched in scale and quality. These people think that renewable energy,
cogeneration, and cogeneration make the greatest sense and fit these soft energy path
criteria.
Answer to Question 2
This is correct. If the actual lapse rate is smaller than the adiabatic lapse rate,
upward movement of air will cause the air to become cooler than the surrounding air, and as
a result more dense. Denser air will sink; so the air will return to its original position.
The Energy Yield of Fossil Fuels
Metabolic pathways involved in the breakdown of proteins for energy.
The energy cycle of life
Global energy imbalance ~0.75 Wm-2
Energy Balance and Imbalances
Potential energy