The last two decades have seen a dramatic increase in energy consumption worldwide. World energy demand has increased by over 40% over the last two years. With large nations such as China and India developing stronger economies there will be an even greater increases in world energy demand. According to the Department of Energy (1), the average energy consumption in industrial countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, whose members include most European nations and the U.S.) is increasing at near 1.6 percent per year, with the rate of increase in non-OECD nations closer to 4.2 percent per year. However, the estimates for non-OECD nations are based on a much lower per capita energy consumption. If these nations were to begin to match OECD nations in energy consumption per capita the world energy demand would increase to five times the current projections (1).
While most of the world's energy currently comes from oil and coal, these sources will not be sufficient to meet the world's energy demands in the next few decades. It is predicted that by 2060 the world's fossil fuel reserves will be depleted, perhaps sooner should the economies of less industrial nations begin to develop in the modern world market.
There is only a minimal infrastructure for alternative energy sources in most nations. Of all sources nuclear power is the most abundant alternative and actually accounts for 17% of the world's energy production (2). Hydroelectic power is of common use in many countries as a supplement to fossil fuels, as is wind power set up in many nations.