Hi everyone. Thanks for checking out The Energy Transformation. I think you’ll find the things discussed here not only interesting, but relevant as well. The goal for these pieces is for the majority of its content to be timeless – meaning they won’t be regurgitation of news events. You can follow my twitter or other energy accounts if you’re interested in that. You should be able to read these posts 10 years from now and still find value in their content.
One caveat to this – I will discuss a current event topic if it involves: a significant shift, acceleration, deceleration, or major implication for the future of energy. One example being the current global energy crisis.
Many call this likely shift from fossil-based fuel sources to renewable-based to be an energy transition. I’m calling it a transformation. Sure they may be synonymous in a sense, and you may even hear me use those two words interchangeably at times. Transition however, sounds as if the shift will be a natural, fluid process going from one state to the other. This is hardly the case. Transformation gives off a less misleading tone as this shift will be structurally different and won’t come to light without initially forcing many things into place. A near complete overhaul of today’s energy system will need to occur if we are to set our sights on achieving Net Zero by 2050.
For example, lets look at the current vs. future state of vehicles. The goal is to go from:
- fracking → refining → storage → tanker truck → gas station
to:
- renewable power generation → transmission lines → distribution → EV charging stations/homes
Not to mention the infrastructure needed to frack a well and the mining materials for batteries, there is hardly any overlap in these processes and therefore the transformation will be an entire new beast to tackle.
The future of energy appears to be murky given the vast variety narratives portrayed in the media. I admit myself that it can sometimes be difficult to separate the informed from the uninformed opinions, especially when seemingly esoteric data points are mentioned to reinforce an argument.
The goal here is to clear this muddiness and show what the future of our world’s energy systems are likely to shape out to be. No one can know with 100% certainty. I won’t pretend to, and you should avoid anyone who says otherwise. (Side note: having high conviction is different from being 100% certain.)
Here is a rough list of some topics to be discussed in the future (with some pretty charts, of course!). If there’s anything you think I’ve missed please drop it in the comments below and I’ll add it if relevant.
Topics of Discussion
(in no specific order other than the first on this list)
1. Energy First Principles - A look through history to observe the natural human condition and its fundamental driving force
2. The current state of global energy
3. Achieving Net Zero by 2050 and where progress stands today
4. Energy crisis and knock-on effects
5. The importance of energy abundance
6. What the future of energy could shape up to be
7. Intro to Hydrogen - the role it plays today and potentially the future
8. Smart grids and the future of electricity distribution
9. A look into the Solar/wind value chain and technological improvements
10. The rise of electric vehicles and related infrastructure
11. The US, Russia, and Saudi Arabia – the battle for global market share
12. Looking at energy forecasters predictions vs. reality
13. The pros and cons of nuclear energy
14. Nuclear energy tech – current and ongoing
15. Uranium vs. Thorium and various reactor types
16. Natural gas and LNG as a “transition” fuel away from coal
If all this seems overwhelming, don’t worry. The way the posts will be structured, I’ll give enough background and a consistent framework going into the content, so you’ll always be able to at least walk away with the bigger picture.
There’ll be free posts published about once a week. In the future I will transform - ok transition - into a mix of both free and paid posts. Early ideas of what paid posts may include: a look into promising energy technology, the science behind different energy sources, deep dives into certain markets/industries, and individual stocks that could benefit from these trends, including detailed analysis for those stocks/industries (for educational purposes only and not financial advice – I am a cartoon cat). This is a long way off however as I’d like to go through some overall basics and framework first.
Hope you’re strapped in - it’s gonna be a bumpy ride