New Energy and Energy Resources

(Solar Energy, the US Department of Energy)

• Renewable Energy: Solar energy, wind energy, wave and tidal energy.
• Energy Storage: Electrochemical energy storage, nano energy, and other energy storage technologies.
• Clean Energy Technologies: Advanced clean fuel technologies, fuel cells, electrolyzers, and membrane reactors.
• Sustainable Energy Systems: Energy efficiency, energy label and ecodesign, and sustainable energy systems.
• Carbon Capture and Storage: Carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies.
• Process and Energy Systems Engineering: Focuses on optimizing processes and systems related to energy.
• Other Areas: Smart grids, hydrogen storage and production, and nuclear energy are also explored.

- Climate Action and and Energy Transition

Addressing climate change requires urgent, systemic shifts from fossil fuels to renewable energy (solar, wind, nuclear) and enhanced energy efficiency in transportation, buildings, and industry. 

Key solutions include advancing grid-scale storage, adopting electric vehicles, enhancing energy efficiency, and using carbon capture to reduce atmospheric CO2.

The transition involves a comprehensive approach, including adopting advanced, cleaner technologies to create a sustainable energy system.

Key Aspects of Climate Action & Energy Transition:

• Renewable Energy Sources: Replacing coal, oil, and gas with wind, solar, and nuclear power is essential to reduce CO2 and particulate air pollution.
• Energy Efficiency & Technology: Improving efficiency—such as in building insulation, industrial processes, and transport—can account for substantial emissions reductions.
• Carbon Reduction Strategies: Researchers are exploring carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to mitigate emissions from remaining industrial processes.
• Storage and Infrastructure: Efficiently storing and converting energy (e.g., through batteries or hydrogen) is critical for managing renewable energy intermittency.
• Lifestyle Changes: Individual actions like switching to electric vehicles, optimizing home heating, and reducing energy consumption contribute to lowering emissions.

- The Shift Toward Renewables and Economic Opportunities: 

The global energy landscape is undergoing a critical, necessary shift from a historically high reliance on non-renewable, emission-intensive fossil fuels toward sustainable, renewable sources. 

This transition is essential to mitigate climate change - driven by energy-related CO₂ emissions that have risen roughly 1% annually since 2010 - and to ensure long-term energy security. 

As the world continues to develop, this transition is crucial for balancing rising demand with environmental sustainability and economic growth.

1. The Shift Toward Renewables and Economic Opportunities: 

While fossil fuels have historically driven development, their depletion and environmental impact necessitate a rapid transition to renewable energy and electrification. 

This shift is not merely an environmental imperative but a catalyst for broad socioeconomic development, with the potential to create 42 million jobs in the renewable energy sector alone by 2050. 

2. Key Economic Opportunities on the Energy Transition:

• Job Growth: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) projects that, under an accelerated energy transition, total energy sector jobs could reach 100 million by 2050. Renewable energy jobs specifically are estimated to reach 42 million by 2050, growing from roughly 12 million in 2017.
• Major Employment Sectors: Solar PV, wind power, and battery storage are the primary drivers of this new job market.
• Regional Impact: Asia is expected to dominate, holding over 60% of total energy jobs by 2050.
• Socioeconomic Benefits: Beyond job creation, the transition is expected to improve public health through cleaner air and enhance energy access in developing regions, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7).

3. The Role of SDG 7: 

The UN's Sustainable Development Goal 7 focuses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030. 

While progress is being made—with 92% of the global population having access to electricity in 2023, up from 84% in 2010 - significant investment is needed to accelerate the transition to cleaner, renewable sources.

- The Future of Energy

The future of energy is rapidly shifting toward a sustainable, electrified, and decentralized model to combat climate change, with renewable sources like wind, solar, and biofuels expected to provide up to four-fifths of global electricity by 2050. 

This transformation requires accelerating innovation in energy storage, grid modernization, and clean technologies, such as hydrogen, geothermal, and carbon capture, to create an abundant, low-carbon future. 

The transition demands a cultural shift in energy consumption and increased, proactive investment in new technologies, moving away from a fossil fuel-dependent infrastructure.

Key Aspects of the Future Energy Landscape: 

• Renewable Energy Dominance: Solar and wind are leading the transition, with renewable sources projected to provide the majority of the world's electricity by 2050.
• Decarbonization of Sectors: Beyond electricity, heating, transport, and industrial sectors are undergoing rapid electrification to reduce carbon emissions.
• Technological Innovation: Key areas of focus include advances in battery storage to address intermittency, green hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage technologies.
• Energy Efficiency: A significant increase in energy-efficient technologies is required to support the transition.
• Global Challenges: The shift is driven by the need to address global warming, depleting natural resources, and the need for a more equitable, secure energy distribution.
• Key Future Sources: Promising alternatives and emerging sources include solar, wind, biofuels, fuel cells, geothermal, and ocean energy.

[Leuven, Belgium]

- National Electric Power Infrastructure

The U.S. national electric power infrastructure is a massive, aging, and complex network, featuring over 600,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 5.5 million miles of distribution lines, managed by a patchwork of utilities and operators. 

It faces challenges from extreme weather, rising demand, and, as noted by RMI and Forbes, a lack of unified planning and infrastructure retirement. Modernization efforts, such as the Department of Energy’s Speed to Power initiative, aim to enhance resilience through smart technology and increased capacity.

1. Key Infrastructure Components: 

• Generation: Power plants (nuclear, fossil fuels, renewables) that produce electricity, often located far from demand centers.
• Transmission: A high-voltage network (>230 kilovolts) with 240,000 miles of lines that transports power over long distances.
• Distribution: Local lines, substations, and transformers that deliver power to end-users.
• Grid Interconnections: The lower 48 states operate primarily on three main, independent, yet synchronized grids: the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection, and the Texas Interconnection.

2. Current Status and Challenges:

• Aging Infrastructure: Much of the grid is outdated, increasing susceptibility to failures.
• Extreme Weather: Increased vulnerability to storms, wildfires, and extreme temperatures.
• Capacity Constraints: Rising demand for electricity, driven partly by AI and electrification, is straining the system.
• Transition Risks: As noted by Forbes, the retirement of older power plants in 2025 is expected to exceed new capacity additions.

3. Modernization and Future Outlook:

• Grid Modernization: The Department of Energy (DOE) is focusing on upgrading infrastructure for better reliability and security.
• Smart Grid Technology: Implementing sensors, software, and communication tools to manage supply and demand in real-time.
• Speed to Power Initiative: A DOE program launched in 2025 aimed at speeding up the development of large-scale, high-voltage transmission projects.
• Distributed Energy Resources (DERs): The University of Wisconsin reports that promoting localized power generation, such as rooftop solar, battery storage, and microgrids, is critical to improving resilience.

4. Ownership and Regulation:

• Mixed Ownership: The grid is owned and operated by a mix of investor-owned utilities, public power companies, and cooperatives.
• Regulatory Oversight: Operations are governed by a combination of federal (FERC), state, and local entities.
• Transmission System Operators (TSOs): Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) manage the, often cross-state,, transmission infrastructure.

- The Electric Grid

An electrical grid is an interconnected system that maintains an instantaneous balance between supply and demand (generating and loading) while transferring electricity from a source to customers. 

Since it is difficult to store large amounts of electricity, the amount of electricity produced and fed into the system must be carefully matched to keep the system running. 

According to an article on SmartGrid.gov, the country's electrical grid was primarily built in the 1890s and enhanced with technology in the decades that followed. There are currently over 9,200 grids.

• Centralized generation can deliver large amounts of power to transmission lines away from densely populated areas.
• Transmission lines carry high-voltage power from centralized power plants to substations.
• Electricity is converted to a lower voltage at the substation.
• Distribution lines provide lower voltage power to loads.
• Distributed generation is any source of electricity located at or near the point of load. It can be connected to utility distribution lines, or just power independent loads.

[More to come ...]