Handbook of Energy

Section 41

Depletion and Shortages

The subject area Depletion and Shortages deals with scarcity of natural resources. The scarcity may be a lack of an energy source itself (e.g., wood, oil), or of a material used in the manufacture of an energy source (e.g., silicon for PV power). This section also deals with reactions to actual or anticipated shortages of energy (e.g., various recent efforts to develop alternative energy because of anticipated future shortages of fossil fuels).

The issue of energy shortages often has had major effects on history. In World War II, a momentous—and ultimately fateful—strategic decision made by Nazi Germany has been associated with concerns about energy supply. This was the Wehrmacht’s movement to the East in World ...