The Energy Transition: Hydrocarbon Man vs Green Man Series

In one of last week's IIR Energy 's Featured Content Newsletters; we spoke to Big Tech, Energy Transition and Conflict Minerals: A Growing Concern.

High-tech companies and the energy transition as a whole require increasing amounts of earth, rare and otherwise. Many of these earths/metals come from nations riddled with wars or other territorial conflicts, or from nations with poor records on human rights and/or--ironically--environmental concerns.

But one might wonder exactly how we arrived at this point in our "Energy Transition (& Transformation) as a whole" to be encountering 'Conflict Minerals: (being) A Growing Concern'; fortunately Industrial Info Resources Paul Wiseman has been putting character to screen on a informative series which brings us from the Past.. to the Present.. with a look to the Future. Sort of a level set as well as a "Did you know?"

This Series began with Science Friction: Can Energy Transition Maintain the Fossil-Fueled Way of Life?

July 3, 2024--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)

As has been noted here and elsewhere, about half the world's GNP is voting/has voted this year, including India and the United States, two of the planet's three most populous nations.

At issue are a long list of key issues, with energy transition and immigration among the items that could be "single issue" enough to sway voters by themselves. June's elections in Europe, India, South Africa and France have given evidence that voters are increasingly concerned about both issues, but particularly in regard to the growing realization of the extraordinary cost and inconvenience of exchanging fossil fuels for renewables.

In most countries, conservative or even outright anti-green parties either won or gained enough seats to threaten the green mandate that voters swept into office just five years earlier. After all, most of civilization has spent the better part of 100 years in almost total dependence on the benefits of cheap, plentiful hydrocarbons: working in town while living in suburbia; year-round 72 degree comfort; 24-hour bright light, enabling homework, housework and shift work; cheap goods manufactured in efficiently powered factories locally and overseas and shipped to the doorstep for pennies per mile; satellite communications placed by hydrogen-powered rockets; ammonia-based fertilizers that boost farm productivity and reduce food costs; and a list that, in 10-point Helvetica, could wrap around the planet several times.

Yet an increasingly adamant environmental movement is spreading the word that burning of fossil fuels in those pursuits is heating the planet and harming ecosystems--and it must be stopped, and the sooner the better. The fact that heat records are being set daily across the globe is hard to dispute, but the human and financial cost of weaning off this century-long addiction will be staggering and will likely require significant lifestyle changes beyond simply plugging in a car overnight. (read on for more insights)

Summary: This excerpt delves into the complexities surrounding the energy transition and its impact on society. It questions the feasibility and desirability of achieving this transition without significant disruption or cost, particularly in light of the differing energy policies of major political figures. The author highlights a central conflict between environmental protection and economic growth, citing Daniel Yergin's observation about the clash between these two forces. The excerpt also raises concerns about the reliability and affordability of renewable energy sources, particularly in the context of geopolitical events like the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It outlines a plan to explore the evolution of hydrocarbon dependence, the environmental movement's progress, and a comparative analysis of fossil fuels and renewables in terms of reliability, affordability, and sustainability. Overall, this excerpt underscores the challenges and uncertainties associated with the energy transition, prompting critical questions about its implementation and potential consequences.

And sequed to Greasing the Wheels of Progress--The Standard of Oil

July 22, 2024--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)

It would be hard to identify anything more foundational to the civilization of the developed world than the availability of cheap, plentiful and energy-dense oil, gas and coal. As half the world decides this year on many issues, including the idea of weaning off this life-style changing energy, the challenges are immense.

Observing this dependence/addiction to fossil fuels, Daniel Yergin , in his oil history volume entitled The Prize, points out that anthropologists refer to the modern age as the "Hydrocarbon Society." With concerns about carbon dioxide and other emissions also creating a "hydrocarbon climate," the question arises as to whether, and at what cost, could something that began as the hydrocarbon society be maintained with any other fuel or fuel mix.

As Industrial Info monitors energy projects of all sorts--fossil and renewable--we will consider what fossil fuels provide--so many things that generations have grown up surrounded by that they take it all for granted--to understand the ask that's being made of wind, solar, hydrogen, ammonia, geothermal, and other replacements.

Stops on the world-altering journey will include Titusville, Pennsylvania, 1859; the Chicago World's Fair, 1893; Spindletop, Texas, 1901; Henry Ford, Detroit, Michigan 1908, and others. And, while the use of another fossil fuel, coal, is traced back as far as 3000 BC in China, and began making steam for rail and maritime transportation by the early 1800s, this story will focus on the growth of oil and gas in the U.S. (read on for more insights)

Summary: "Energy for Every-Night Lights" tells the story of how humans' desire for artificial lighting has shaped energy use and technological development. Early civilizations relied on natural oils and animal fats for lamps and candles. The scarcity of whale oil, used in the New World, led to the drilling of the first oil well at Titusville, Pennsylvania, marking a turning point in energy production. The invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas Edison further revolutionized lighting, necessitating significant investments in infrastructure. As kerosene lamps faded, the oil industry, led by figures like John D. Rockefeller, found a new market in the growing automobile industry, which required gasoline. The discovery of the Spindletop oil field ensured a plentiful supply of fuel for the automotive revolution, paving the way for a society reliant on fossil fuels and the modern world as we know it.

Then turns to the "Green Movement" of this series, which was recently told in Fossil-Fueled Pollution and the Birth of Solar and Wind Power

August 16, 2024--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)-

It is important to start the green movement volume of the energy transition series with a clear statement that industry as a whole, and the mining and fossil fuel industries in particular, did indeed spend about two centuries progressively and unabashedly ignoring their environmental impact. Or more clearly, the human leaders of those sectors made decisions that flagrantly disregarded the environment and the people downstream who depended on that environment.

Part two of this series reported how early crude oil's only useful product was kerosene--but behind that was the ugly fact that the gasoline produced, then just a useless byproduct, was flushed down streams and rivers, killing everything in and around them. In Texas and elsewhere, oil companies used to dump sludge into pits without any remediation.

Many industries polluted the Great Lake and ocean coastlines for hundreds of miles. To this day, decades into the environmental movement, residents of New Orleans' typical statement about nearby Lake Pontchartrain is, "It's not nearly as bad as it used to be."

Coal takes the brunt of the blame because its airborne pollutants and strip mining were easily visible. On the former, my father, who grew up in north central Kentucky, told of days when families couldn't line-dry their laundry due to windborne grime from a nearby coal-fired factory. On the latter, elsewhere in Kentucky, the song "Paradise" said it all: "Mr. Peabody's coal train has hauled it away." (read on for more insights)

Summary: "Early Environmental Voices" chronicles the evolution of environmental awareness and renewable energy technologies. Starting with Rachel Carson's influential book "Silent Spring," the chapter highlights the rise of the green movement in the 1960s, building upon earlier foundations laid by figures like Gifford Pinchot and John Muir. The chapter then delves into the history of wind and solar power, tracing their development from ancient times to the modern era. Wind power's roots lie in maritime activities and early electricity generation attempts, while solar power's origins can be traced back to French discoveries in the 19th century. The OPEC oil embargo in the 1970s served as a catalyst for further advancements in renewable energy technologies, emphasizing the importance of energy security and environmental concerns.

Will definitely be interesting the next Chapters in this Energy Transition Series: Hydrocarbon Man vs Green Man. See what's around the proverbial Riverbend and revealed.

Meanwhile as your feedback is very important to us. Please let us know if we may provide additional color or answer any other market questions you may upon reading this story.

IIR Energy Team

Email: [email protected]

Direct:?(713) 213-2823

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).