Kipling, Physics and Economics

 The final paragraph of a narration by Aravis from Six Easy Pieces: 

Although there is always the same amount of energy in the universe, it is not always available. For example, the sea has a certain amount of energy, because it is always a certain temperature; however, it may take more energy than it is worth to collect all the sea’s energy in one place so that we can use it (meaning that we may expend more energy than we collect). While the sun has a tremendous amount of energy, only one-two-billionth of it falls on the earth (the rest falls on stars, Mercury, Pluto and the rest). If we could harness all the sun’s power, we would have an incredible supply of energy – however, we could easily destroy something necessary out in space by depriving it of energy. And here, O Best Beloved, is where physics intersects with the science of economics.