Technology

The Clean Energy Transition

By Bryan Walsh | @bryanrwalsh | August 13, 2010 | +

A little light post for weekend reading. Science magazine has published a special news section on the alternative energy challenge, casting a sober eye on the difficulties—and oppourunities—of leaving behind the age of fossil fuels and scaling up green power. Usually Science studies are behind a paywall (hmm, sounds familiar), but the magazine is making these stories freely accessible until August 27. Take the time to check them out, especially Richard Kerr’s piece on why it will be so difficult to dislodge fossil fuel:

Wind turbines dot ridges, distillers turn farmers’ corn into ethanol by the billions of liters, and solar panels sprout on roofs. The energy revolution that will bring us clean, secure energy is under way, sort of. Never has the world so self-consciously tried to move toward new sources of energy. But the history of past major energy transitions—from wood to coal, and from coal to oil and gas—suggests that it will be a long, tough road to scaling up alternatives to fossil fuels that don’t stoke greenhouse warming.

It will be a tough road. All the more reason to stop the delay and start moving forward.

Related Topics: alternative energy, clean energy, cleantech, green energy, renewable energy, Science, Technology

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  • http://8020vision.com jaykimball

    Thanks Bryan, There is some good data in the article and I am a fan of charts that help us see the trends and speed (or lack of it) of the transitions.

    That said, Kerr is not giving credit to the innovations taking place to make renewables work well. Good old fashioned engineering, and billions in venture financing are producing solutions that are as simple and far-reaching as any iPod or flatscreen TV innovation. And as with consumer innovations, they take a few years for the evolutionary market forces to naturally select the best from the rest, but that is underway.

    For example, check out the news today about using water heaters to store renewable energy:

    http://8020vision.com/2010/08/13/using-water-heaters-to-store-excess-wind-energy/

    It is a simple powerful idea that doesn’t require huge grid battery storage systems. This is the kind of elegant insight that flows daily from engineering minds as they take on these challenges.

  • http://8020vision.com jaykimball

    Also, for some fascinating history of energy transitions over the past 400 years, check out:

    http://8020vision.com/2010/07/11/the-slow-search-for-solutions-lessons-from-historical-energy-transitions-by-sector-and-service/

    Key points:
    1. The main drivers for the energy transitions were the opportunity to produce cheaper or better energy services.

    2. In a majority of cases, the successful new energy source or technology provided the same service (i.e. heating, power, transport or light) with superior or additional characteristics (e.g. easier, cleaner or more flexible to use).

    We are close to having comparable pricing. Putting a price on carbon could get us across the finish line. All emerging technologies start out more expensive. The price per kWh for wind and solar have been for decades and now are in the zone where they are finding widespread adoption by power companies around the world. As adoption happens, these renewable energy sources will move in to “mass market” pricing and it’s a done deal.

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