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Although countries have had two and a half years to put in place policies to help them reach their Paris Climate Accord targets, few have done so as no country has been particularly outstanding in terms of reaching its targets for GHG emissions, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
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A summary of the rankings:
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Book review:
energy: a human history, by Richard Rhodes
"Energy; A Human History," by Richard Rhodes (Pulitzer and National Book Award winner for The Making of the Atomic Bomb), is a comprehensive survey of virtually every significant energy innovation in human history - from wood to coal; candles to gas and electricity; horses to steam and oil, and so on. And yet, this is also a story about “human beings … confronting the deeply human problem of drawing life from the raw materials of the world."
"Energy" is filled with entertaining treatments of the Greeks, and stories about William Shakespeare and his partners "borrowing" the wood from their original London theater at a time when the world desperately needed the raw material. But the true strength of the book is the author's lucid, thoughtful survey of how the modern world came to need and consume massive amounts of energy. Indeed, Rhodes is at his best when examining the processes by which mankind harnessed energy and used it for productive purposes. In great detail, Rhodes shows how energy scaled magnificently for the Industrial Revolution 300 years or so ago. The breakout century for energy was indeed the 18th, its birthplace Britain, and its basis coal, a more concentrated source of power than wood, increasingly cheap. And energy’s breakout technology was the steam engine.
"Energy" is filled with entertaining treatments of the Greeks, and stories about William Shakespeare and his partners "borrowing" the wood from their original London theater at a time when the world desperately needed the raw material. But the true strength of the book is the author's lucid, thoughtful survey of how the modern world came to need and consume massive amounts of energy. Indeed, Rhodes is at his best when examining the processes by which mankind harnessed energy and used it for productive purposes. In great detail, Rhodes shows how energy scaled magnificently for the Industrial Revolution 300 years or so ago. The breakout century for energy was indeed the 18th, its birthplace Britain, and its basis coal, a more concentrated source of power than wood, increasingly cheap. And energy’s breakout technology was the steam engine.
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Throughout "Energy," Rhodes' treatment of change-over-time is engaging, especially his survey of the first, clunky Newcomen engine (suitable only for raising water from mines) followed by the ascendance of James Watt and his spectacular improvements that made steam engines the dominant power source until around 1900, when the steam turbine, electric motor, and internal combustion engine took over. This is when invention accelerated, from the opening of the 19th century and the expiration of Watt’s patents (ironically, which had been a drag on progress) through the following two centuries and the rise of entirely new sources of energy (electricity, oil, natural gas, the sun, and the atom) and the marvels that these innovations made possible. Humans are problem-solvers, Rhodes maintains, and the same genius that produced technological wonders will solve the problems that accompany them.
With so much history to cover, some of Rhodes' choices can be frustrating. Efforts to eliminate engine knock, leading to the addition of lead into gasoline, get extensive treatment, probably more than needed. So does the precise number of whaling ships destroyed by specific Confederate raiders. The most notable gap, however, is the absense of the energy transition now under way. If this is indeed a human history of energy, then more pressing contemporary topics -- like the rise of renewable energy, concerns about changes to the global climate, and most significantly the current revolution of the digital oilfield -- deserve greater attention. |
Nevertheless, this is a good, readable book. A meta-treatment of the subject was desperately needed: the shift from muscle to water to steam and electricity, from wood to coal and then oil and natural gas, and also the rise of nuclear, wind and solar. Each transition gets time and attention of varying lengths, and the summaries of the inventors and the consequences of each invention are brilliant. The middle-half of the book and its focus on pre-20th Century energy is where the author is at his best, while it is hard not to wish that Rhodes had lavished the same analytical attention on the energy transitions of today since the current e-tech revolution is just getting started.
Reviewer - Eric J. Vettel, Ph.D., President - American Energy Society
Reviewer - Eric J. Vettel, Ph.D., President - American Energy Society
Job opportunities:
Featuring unique, hard-to-find-jobs in energy:
Featuring unique, hard-to-find-jobs in energy:
The University of Madris (Complutense) is offering 140 postdoctoral positions as part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship. Duration: 12-24 months; Deadline: 12 SEPTEMBER 2018. |
The Basque Foundation for Science (Ikerbasque) is seeking 10 Senior Researchers. These positions are financed by the Basque Government, the European Commission and the host institution where the researcher will develop her/his research: therefore the acceptance letter of the host institution is mandatory. Applications from women are especially welcomed. Duration: permanent contract positions; deadline: 13 SEPTEMBER 2018. 
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The Department of Business, Energy and International Strategy - Whitehall, London - is seeking a Director General, Energy and Security. The candidate selected will play a key part overseeing the exit from Euratom and the EU exit as well as overseeing £5bn of annual expenditure. |
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Oil & Gas: Google in Sunnyvale/Mt. View, California, is seeking a "Director, Go-To-Market: Oil, Gas, and Energy". Leveraging deep industry experience and strong executive relationships in the Oil, Gas, and Energy (OGE) industry, you will be a point person for growing Google Cloud Platform’s (GCP) business. You have an intimate understanding of technology usage in the industry, specifically how newer technologies (e.g. cloud computing) can enable oil and gas companies to be more nimble.
You will build a commercially-oriented team and influence the creation of a compelling, global go-to-market strategy that covers organic and inorganic approaches to increasing business and capturing market share. Org-chart: the Director of Energy Go-To-Market is a key member of the Google Cloud team.
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Renewable Energy: Apple in Cupertino, California, is seeking a Clean Energy Project Manager. Are you a creative thinker and self-starter? Do you thrive in a startup-like environment and aspire to be a part of something bigger? Are you passionate about renewable energy and combating climate change? As Project Manager on Apple's Supplier Clean Energy Program, you will manage and drive the adoption of renewable energy in Apple’s product manufacturing.
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Academic: The Johns Hopkins University is seeking multiple Adjunct Faculty for its Energy Policy and Climate Program. Selected adjunct faculty will teach courses in the areas of energy systems and earth systems modeling, techno-economic modeling, and modeling of the electric grid. Positions are available for both classroom and online. |
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Energy Policy: The FAA in Washington, DC, is seeking an Executive Director to lead its Office of Environment and Energy. |
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Cheniere Energy in Houston, Texas, is seeking a Director of Project Management who will lead a multi-discipline Project Management Team (PMT) for all front-end phases of an undisclosed natural gas liquefaction/LNG export plant. |
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The Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, DC, is seeking a highly qualified and deeply motivated legal fellow to work on the organization’s climate and energy team under the Clean Energy and Legal & Regulatory programs. |
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Featured job announcement: Orrick currently has an exciting opportunity in either San Francisco, New York, DC, or Houston for an experienced Marketing Specialist in support of broad business development efforts for the firm's Energy & Infrastructure (E&I) practice. Please visit the Orrick job website for more information. |
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Featured opportunity: The Cleantech Open runs a national accelerator program to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. Please visit us to find out more about the program, or to register if you are interested in sharing your expertise to mentor a Cleantech Open entrepreneur team in building their business or developing their technology. |
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