Renewable Energy Transition
Renewable Energy Transition
To get an overview of all the different energy types in an easy to read, funny way, read;
The blog has described the different types of energy, and which ones are considered renewable. The rest of this article will focus on the transition. The article you just read is from 2014. It is very telling how relevant this information still is. The transition since then has not been big. The main reason for this, simply put, is money. As explained in the blog, generating renewable energy is significantly more expensive than generating fossil fuels. Not just because the engineering is more expensive, but also because the fossil fuel extraction and use already exists. Any transition, even to a cheaper option, costs money. And many companies are invested in keeping their old investments secure by prolonging the extraction and use of fossil fuels.
Some key steps in the transition can be as follows;
- Divesting (hitting fossil fuels where it hurts)
- Grand Scale Renewable Operations (scaling up makes it cheaper)
- Carbon Tax (by making fossil fuel more expensive, the tipping point to renewable is reached sooner)
- Resource Depletion (fossil fuels are naturally running out and getting harder to reach, where as renewable energy is ever present)
- Global Energy System (energy measures can be restricted by borders)
- Energy Storage (renewable energy sources fluctuate in delivery, unfortunately this is not synchronised with the demand)
This topic is not easy to summarise, and depending on your interest can diverge greatly. These key steps are a good starting point for further investigation.
How these steps will develop or take place in the future is very hard to predict. The differences per country are significant, and the changes in opportunities and needs are unpredictable. However, it is clear that the transition needs to happen as soon as possible for society to continue to function. Fossil fuels are running out and the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is speeding up climate change with disastrous consequences. This makes transition to renewable energy a very important topic.
Unfortunately, as with many important topics nowadays, many different narratives are circling the news. Are electric cars actually more environmentally friendly? Is nuclear energy a good alternative? From an academic perspective these questions are often lacking. More environmentally friendly than what other mode of transportation? A good alternative to what other energy source? And in what country are you using the electricity? These uncertainties create doubt in the public and allow for wriggle room for politicians and companies. Together this slows down the transition. It is important to clarify these doubts, remove the wriggle room and take all the key steps into this transition as soon as possible.
More to read on this topic;
An in depth study into the role of the Tesla car in the energy transition
