Energy, Entropy and Sustainable Development with Focus on Nuclear Fusion

Abstract

The results of this thesis are twofold. First, based on the fundamental work of Ervin Schrödinger on sustainable development and its relation to entropy, we develop a program for discussing both the kinetic and configurational entropy of a system on the same level. This was published in Physica A in January 2017. The full article is included in the end of this thesis. The concept of entropy and sustainable development on Earth is connected in this first part. Second, the sustainability of different forms of energy production is discussed from a physical point of view, based on the concept proposed in the first part. Fusion energy is then highlighted based on conclusions made in the first and second part of the thesis. The discussion about sustainable energy production is at last put in context with the actual situation of energy production in Norway today.