Whilst these sources have a supporting role to play in the energy system, the majority of energy sources for powering the world should be high density, low emissions, low land use, low mining-intensity, reliable baseload fuel sources including natural gas, hydrogen, and nuclear. That’s the physics.
Before we talk about net energy and how skilled geoscientists fit into a reliable and clean energy system and why electrification by use of nuclear is the most economical clean energy source, we need full disclosure. I have nothing to sell. After working in E&P for 18 years I pivoted into nuclear waste disposal in 2018. I was generally curious about the energy source and how spent nuclear fuel would be safely disposed of. Nowadays I work in the global insurance
industry. What I am implying is that my identity is not wrapped up in my conclusions.
To understand net energy is to understand biology. Put simply, it revolves around knowing where your next meal (energy) is coming from. However, today our relationship with energy starts to become vague anywhere past the fuelling station and/or the plug socket. As geoscientists, we should find this concerning.
The world’s fossil fuel supplies are depleting, we are having to drill deeper and find unconventional sources. The Permian is a great example, a wonderful example of energy innovation, but there is no grandparent rock. To understand the true nature of our predicament is to understand net energy. Instead, we are told we need to move away from fossil fuels to prevent climate change. I am not a climate change denier, but what should be on the forefront of
everyone’s mind is that fossil fuels are transitioning away from us, and we don’t seem to be focused on a solution.
Today’s wind turbines and solar panels, modern renewables, are really extensions of the fossil fuel industry. Currently, these devices can only be made, built, repaired and rebuilt using fossil fuels, which is a high net-energy source, to produce solar panels and wind turbines that provide a lower net energy.
With a population of around 8.1 billion today, there is no way that energy derived from modern renewables can support the energy needs of today’s population or the future, as these industries do not produce high enough net energy to be sustainable on their own.
In the coming months, I will write a few periodicals that attempt to explain net energy. Why are the current energy policies of many countries so contentious? Why has nuclear power become such a sensitive political issue? What are the strengths and weaknesses of wind power and solar
energy and what needs to be done to secure the reliable energy supply of the future?
