Skip to main content

What is Energy Transition Engineering and why it is imperative, with Sus...

I had a really interesting conversation with Jason Marmon of US Energy. He has worked in Oil and Gas and then decided to work on energy transition. We had a nice time brainstorming what energy transition means for oil and gas industry. 




Like everything these days, the go-to framework for debate is opposites positioning. In energy and climate change the position used to be "I'm not worried about climate change" vs "I'm freaked out about climate change". That framing didn't get a lot done, and it was masking the real issues, questions and potentials. 

The opposites positioning has moved on a bit and now the "it's not happening" people are off in their own bubble cooking up conspiracies. Now the opposites positioning is "Energy transition is switching to renewables" vs "energy transition is hydrogen and CCS".  These two positions usually argue about the other not being able to replace fossil fuels at scale. That is correct of both. 

Is it possible to build a frame for action through debate by constructing a new conversation where the questions are about how to transition the oil & gas industry to new business models, and how to adapt to reduced oil and gas supply in all other areas?  In this framework it could be possible to have the debates be more like design development debates between concepts, but all concepts are derived to accomplish the requirements. 

How could an Oil&Gas exploration and production company transition to not exploring for Oil&Gas, and stepping down production? How could they work with governments and other producers to set up new high price structures for the produced oil & gas? How could they work with refineries to manage the reduced supply? Once they were clearly in profitable positions, what would they go into for forward operations? 

Try not to shut down that conversation. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What about that Michael Moore Movie?

How dare they cast doubt on the sanctity of Renewable Energy? Why am I feeling like this about that movie? I have been asked by a LOT of people what I thought of Planet of the Humans ? Of course the movie has its story to tell and its own perspective that makes it interesting - it is a movie. The facts about renewable energy weren't off the mark. I don't know about the implied corporate handshake of our esteemed environmental leaders. I have only worked with Richard Heinberg, and have found him to be straight up. What it is that is disturbing for people is that their perspective is being shifted. You find out about climate change and climate destruction and you get over your shock and horror and denial, and then you want to bargain. You want to save the world. We will be good. We will use only good energy. We need wind and solar. We are good pe ople. And so the narrative is formed and the story begins to become impervious to facts.  You can find a talk that I

Transition Engineering Perspective Shift

Transition Engineering - what is it you are really doing?  The answer is the same as for any engineering discipline - we make things work. What works totally depends on your perspective. Perspective Since 1950, and the end of the devastating world wars, making things work meant growth. Growth was the way to keep running ahead of that dark beast in the rear view mirror - The Great Depression and his nasty minions - bank failure, hyperinflation, unemployment, scarcity and hunger. We have been looking in the rear-view mirror so much that we have become future blind, letting the headlight dim until the way ahead is only a dark space bounded by ghostly converging white lines. I have a theory that “perspective shift” is key at this time for everyone.  If you've been looking behind, turn around and look ahead, slow down, and turn up the high beams. If you already get the climate science and the urgent need for action, then you need to shift your perspective from