Is the world investing enough in energy?
Global energy investment in 2020-21 has been running 10% below the level needed on our roadmap to net zero. Under-investment is steepest for solar, wind and gas. Under-appreciated is that…
Green steel: circular reference?
…7). Inflationary feedback loops have been a recurring topic in our recent research, and steel makes an interesting case study. Steel is used in wind, solar, power distribution, batteries, hydrogen…
Reforestation in Estonia: six months in?
…in. This is another reason that some TSE research has recently made forays into carbon negative construction materials, insulation, small-scale wind turbines or who makes the best heat pumps. Surrounding…
Decarbonizing global energy: the route to net zero?
This 18-page report revises our roadmap for the world to reach ‘net zero’ by 2050. The average cost is still $40/ton of CO2, with an upper bound of $120/ton, but…
Global coal production: supply outlook in energy transition?
…in turn is abated by CCS or nature-based solutions). This is sheer fantasy, unless wind, solar and natural gas ramp up enormously, especially in China, India and other parts of…
Energy return on energy invested?
…are hydro, nuclear, natural gas and coal. Sources with middling EROEIs of 10-20x are solar, wind and LNG. Sources with weaker EROEIs are oil products, green hydrogen and some biofuels….
Oil and War: ten conclusions from WWII?
…limited military possibilities. ‘Kamikaze’ tactics were named after the ‘divine wind’, a typhoon which disrupted Kublai Khan’s 13th century invasion fleet. But they were motivated by fuel shortages: no return…
Formaldehyde production: the economics?
…in making urea-formaldehyde resins, which in turn are used to make fibre-board wood products (e.g., MDF); in other adhesive products (e.g., as might be used in producing wind turbine blades);…
Battle of the batteries: EVs vs grid storage?
…batteries is grid-scale storage, where the energy-saving prize is preventing the curtailment of intermittent wind and solar resources. As an example, curtailment rates ran at c5% in California in 2021…
Power transmission: raising electrical potential?
…to grow more important in the energy transition. There are six reasons for this claim, especially linked to wind and solar, which are laid out on pages 2-4. The simple…