06-29-2008 - Energy

“Increase in energy demand and also the need to use all kinds of sources of energy will lead to an increase in C02 emissions, and we all know that the C02 emissions are related to global warming. That’s a major concern and also something that calls for aggressive action.” – Jan van der Eijk

Jan van der Eijk is Chief Technology Officer of Shell. In this EarthSky Clear Voices for Science podcast, he speaks of what Shell calls “the three hard truths” of the world’s energy use.

The first truth, he said, is simply that Earth’s population and energy needs will substantially grow. The second is that the easy-to-reach oil and gas will struggle to supply that growth. And the third hard truth relates to rising CO2 in our atmosphere, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, which is leading to a warmer world.

This podcast was made possible in part by Shell – encouraging dialogue on the energy challenge.

Written by Deborah Byrd

No Responses to “Jan van der Eijk: ‘The three hard truths of the world’s energy use’”

1. MekhongKurt says:

   December 1, 2009 at 6:42 am

   Dr. van der Eijk is of course correct in the three \”hard truths\” he mentions.

   Will he briefly mentioned alternative energy sources, I do disagree, to an extent, on the strong emphasis he put on traditional fossil fuels, especially his urging more exploration for such fuels and his mention of \”clean coal.\”

   At some point we presumably will reach a technological limit on being able extract oil from increasingly more challenging fields. If I\’m correct (and I\’m following the lead of majority scientific opinion regarding peak oil), then sooner or later we will find ourselves unable to depend on fossil fuels any longer. In that scenario, now is not a moment to soon to place even more emphasis on alternative energy source development.

   As for so-called \”clean coal,\” if the technology can make it \”clean\” then why do we need to bury it — and hope it *stays* buried? In other words, based on current science, there doesn\’t appear to be any such thing as \”clean coal.\” To speak of clean coal as one savior is akin to mentioning \”pollution-free nuclear power.\” Sure, \”pollution-free\” — if we ignore nuclear waste, which is even worse than coal.

   It puzzles me that anyone champions coal and/or nuclear on the basis they can be clean energy sources. No, they cannot, not with current technology. Oh, I suppose if we could afford it, we could load such waste materials into rockets and send them crashing into the Sun, which would pretty well take care of things, but that\’s hardly practical. (And I\’m not being sarcastic — if we could cheaply launch stuff into the Sun, that would indeed be an excellent solution.)

   Let me make clear that I fully accept that fossil fuels and nuclear energy are going to be major components of our energy sources for some decades to come, at the very least, perhaps much longer. But we\’ve dallied long enough, even without regard to climate change, which some hotly dispute has anything to do with human activity. Why do I say that? Well, I believe most of us would love to have cleaner air, water, and soil than we now have, even if human activity doesn\’t have the slightest connection to climate change.

   And our oil, coal, and natural gas companies need to start shifting their business models now, so they can gradually shift over to alternative energy production (assuming they want to stay in the field). A common criticism of Western companies, perhaps especially U.S. one, is that unlike, say, the Chinese, the look ahead a quarter or two — while the Chinese (and others) look ahead decades.

   And the Chinese offer a good example. Yes, they\’re bringing 1-2 coal-fired power plants online every week, depending on whose figures you believe. And yes, their energy demands are skyrocketing. But they *also* are swiftly becoming world leaders in wind and solar power, not to mention racing ahead in seeking improved battery technology. Sure, they\’ve erected many wind turbines that are isolated from the national power grid — but those wind turbines are in place, ready to connect, the moment the grid reaches them. And the Chinese are frantically building grid infrastructure as well. And look at all the solar power facilities they\’re building.

   I did enjoy this interview, and I do appreciatge this gentleman\’s position.

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