Energy Transition - A Realistic Viewpoint
Written By: Brad Hayes Published: Daily Oil Bulletin Every day we see breathless articles about the emerging Energy Transition — the change from today’s hydrocarbon-dominated energy economy to a future where renewables and other low-emission technologies will power our world. Goals are being set to be “carbon neutral” or “100 per cent renewable” by 2050, 2040, or even sooner. Living in a city where it has taken more than 20 years to build a simple ring road, it seems rather bizarre that people assume we can restructure global energy supplies in less time. That said, these ambitions have spurred tremendous innovation and investment in alternative energy sources and associated infrastructure like grid configurations and storage. But a distressing number of people and organizations have taken the carbon-neutral ambition as a call to destroy the oil and gas industry before cheaper, better energy supplies are available to replace it. Jus...