‘three energy transitions'

kilvert is away from clyro. tomorrow he is away up to london. meanwhile by saturday (in 1871 and on the opposite side of the channel)  things are hotting up for edmond de goncourt during the siege of paris. 

tonight (as we see it) the bell-ringers ball. (horsemouth will have to check if there is a dress code etc.)

20th january the inauguration of the donald j. trump as president of the united states moment (followed by the communal endeavour evening meeting).  

and from here on in it is an entirelywritteninthemorningblogpost

'the ‘three energy transitions’ narrative isn’t just a simplification of a complex reality. it’s a story that progresses logically to a happy ending. and that raises a question. what if it isn’t a realistic account of economic or technological history?'

the argument is that at each previous energy transition the new energy source (coal for example) has simply been added to the energy mix and that indeed more of the previous energy source (wood for example) has been necessary to extract and use the new energy source (as railway sleepers, as pit-props in mines). look at steel (smelted with coal) despite oil being the new energy source.

what we are planning with the third energy transition then (the complete replacement of oil and gas by renewables) is unprecedented (and thus, it is argued, less likely to work). 

meanwhile at the communal endeavour things may be progressing. (heaven forfend). 

here a frosty morning.