Galactic-scale energy

Abstract

Sustained growth in energy use, while often taken for granted, encounters fundamental physical limits within relatively short timescales. Even a modest annual growth rate of 2.3% leads to a demand exceeding Earth’s total land-based solar energy potential within centuries and the entire Sun’s output within a millennium. Expanding energy use at this rate would necessitate harnessing extrasolar sources, eventually encompassing the entire Milky Way galaxy within a few thousand years. These scenarios, while impractical, underscore the finite nature of energy resources and the thermodynamic constraints imposed by heat dissipation. As energy use inevitably plateaus due to these limits, so too must economic growth, challenging prevailing assumptions about perpetual expansion. – AI-generated abstract.