So far many analyses point to favourable prospects. Even though the costs of these new energy technologies seems unreasonably high at this stage, international efforts to design an operational system leading to further developments can reduce the cost and offer a viable source of increasing energy supply. Many environmental and financial questions remain to be resolved, but systematic cooperative studies could lead to scientific information of intrinsic value, which can be diffused extensively to the general public. There is great task ahead for bringing new technologies to the developing countries. One of the central questions for the long term is the transition to renewable energy resources. At present, the prospects are somewhat disappointing in terms both quantity and competitiveness. Their share of the world energy balance would increase 1 to 3 percent by 2020, reaching barely 20 percent of total energy. If hydropower and non-commercial energy are excluded, it would seem that the so- called “new and renewable sources of energy” rise from just 2 to 3 percent in 2020. Their share, therefore, would volume for the main supply system. On the other hand, they may be of crucial importance to isolated rural communities for use in communication, water-pumping and electricity, even if the human, social or food elements are not significant in terms of energy balances generally. The Space Power Satellite (SPS) will remain a capital intensive project with the same problems of financing as nuclear power projects today. Although nuclear energy is presently used to an appreciable degree for electricity generation in the developed countries, its role remains insignificant in the developing countries. The reasons for this is because nuclear technology has been acquired in the developed countries and then transferred with additional cost to the developing countries which were not prepared to receive it. By analogy, the question is “How will the developing countries such as ASEAN countries be involved in the development of SPS technology despite the scarcity of their financial resources?”. More broadly, research and development efforts are needed to arrive at solutions of the very long term. Though there may be scepticism about their competitiveness, new energy alternatives besides coal will be needed to cope with future demand. For the transition from an energy system based on non-renewable stocks to one of renewable flows, one shall have to look to solar power from space as a reasonable alternative. The recent Gulf crisis which was caused by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990 has again taught the developing countries a lesson to pursue that path of transition persistently. Otherwise, they will be further impoverished from oil price increases due to the crisis. According to a United Nations report, with prices of US $30 or US $40 a barrel, developing nation that import oil would have to pay between US $ 45 billion and US $60 billion next year, against US $30billion in 1989. For many of these countries, this will be an unbearable additional burden.
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