﻿SOLAR 
  ENERGY 
  — 
  SPOEHR. 
  179 
  

  

  are 
  exhausted 
  the 
  daily 
  ration 
  of 
  solar 
  energy 
  will 
  represent 
  almost 
  

   the 
  entire 
  means 
  of 
  livelihood 
  ; 
  our 
  mushroom 
  civilization 
  must 
  pass 
  

   like 
  the 
  historic 
  empires 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  and 
  we 
  may 
  expect 
  the 
  reap- 
  

   pearance 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  once 
  more 
  of 
  galley 
  slaves 
  and 
  serfs. 
  

  

  ENERGY 
  RESOURCES 
  AVAILABLE. 
  

  

  And 
  thus 
  the 
  scientific 
  world 
  is 
  awakening 
  to 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  

   taking 
  stock 
  of 
  our 
  available 
  resources 
  of 
  energy. 
  Repeatedly, 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  inexhaustible 
  floods 
  of 
  solar 
  energy. 
  With 
  

   cool 
  theoretical 
  nonchalance 
  the 
  untold 
  possibilities 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

   sun's 
  energy 
  are 
  constantly 
  called 
  to 
  our 
  attention. 
  Yet 
  the 
  chloro- 
  

   phyllous 
  plant 
  still 
  remains 
  the 
  only 
  converter 
  of 
  solar 
  energy. 
  

  

  The 
  student 
  of 
  photosynthesis 
  can 
  not, 
  even 
  if 
  he 
  would, 
  escape 
  

   the 
  practical 
  applications 
  of 
  the 
  problem. 
  It 
  is 
  largely 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  photosynthesis 
  has 
  been 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  an 
  academic 
  manner 
  

   that 
  its 
  fundamental 
  significance 
  has 
  until 
  very 
  recently 
  not 
  been 
  

   more 
  generally 
  recognized 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  enlist 
  the 
  

   interest 
  and 
  cooperation 
  of 
  workers 
  in 
  the 
  allied 
  sciences. 
  To 
  anyone 
  

   who 
  has 
  been 
  actively 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  this 
  problem 
  it 
  

   must 
  be 
  evident 
  that 
  progress 
  toward 
  its 
  solution 
  would 
  be 
  enor- 
  

   mously 
  accelerated 
  by 
  cooperative 
  efforts 
  from 
  different 
  angles. 
  

  

  Recently 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  subject 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  greatly 
  stimulated 
  

   through 
  the 
  realization 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  industrial 
  scientists 
  that 
  our 
  

   available 
  supplies 
  of 
  energy 
  are 
  being 
  rapidly 
  depleted. 
  

  

  Our 
  main 
  source 
  of 
  energy 
  is 
  coal, 
  and 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  

   100 
  years 
  since 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  put 
  to 
  extensive 
  use 
  as 
  a 
  fuel, 
  the 
  present 
  

   annual 
  consumption 
  is 
  stupendous 
  — 
  about 
  650,000,000 
  tons. 
  Each 
  

   decade 
  has 
  brought 
  a 
  decided 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  consumption. 
  

   While 
  there 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  still 
  enormous 
  supplies 
  to 
  draw 
  upon 
  

   which, 
  considered 
  superficially, 
  might 
  allay 
  all 
  concern, 
  our 
  engi- 
  

   neers, 
  most 
  qualified 
  to 
  judge, 
  have 
  repeatedly 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  

   the 
  necessity 
  of 
  preparedness 
  on 
  the 
  fuel 
  situation. 
  

  

  A 
  far 
  more 
  serious 
  situation 
  is 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  petroleum 
  supply. 
  

   The 
  rapid 
  development 
  of 
  internal-combustion 
  engines 
  of 
  various 
  

   types 
  has 
  brought 
  about 
  a 
  tremendous 
  demand 
  for 
  liquid 
  fuel. 
  

   This 
  has 
  increased 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  rate 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  conservatively 
  stated 
  

   that 
  the 
  depletion 
  of 
  the 
  petroleum 
  supply 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  

   clearly 
  in 
  sight. 
  A 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  country's 
  foremost 
  oil 
  geologists, 
  

   under 
  the 
  auspices 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  states 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  estimated 
  reserves 
  are 
  enough 
  to 
  satisfy 
  the 
  present 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  for 
  only 
  20 
  years, 
  if 
  the 
  oil 
  could 
  be 
  taken 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  as 
  

   fast 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  wanted. 
  

  

  Individual 
  wells 
  will 
  yield 
  oil 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  century, 
  and 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  wells 
  will 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  drilled 
  in 
  1950. 
  In 
  short, 
  the 
  oil 
  can 
  not 
  all 
  

   be 
  discovered, 
  much 
  less 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  earth, 
  in 
  20 
  years. 
  The 
  United 
  

  

  