"The course of history can be seen as the quest for controlling greater stores and flows of more concentrated and more versatile forms of energy." - Vaclav Smil
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Energy is the most fundamental constraint on humanity's economic growth and technological development.
The growth of human civilization is the result of changes we make to our environment in order to create greater abundance.
By definition, all changes require energy.
So the degree to which we can alter our environment is directly limited by the amount of energy we can effectively capture and control.
This deep dive covers humanity's growing energy needs, how our energy systems serve these needs, and how progress in energy technology will determine our future.
Intention
The energy industry is so big that it’s rarely discussed as an individual topic.
Instead, some books and resources focus on individual parts of the industry, like energy production, grids, energy markets, or batteries.
Others choose to examine the industry from a single perspective, focusing on things like technological progress, economic growth, geopolitical tensions, or clean energy initiatives.
During my deep dive on energy, I noticed connections between all these resources that point to a full picture of energy that’s rarely discussed.
This website is my attempt to present this full picture of energy and highlight the interesting connections and ideas we get by taking this perspective.
In this view, it becomes clear that energy is not just another basic necessity, but is a fundamental property of our universe that underlies every aspect of our society and defines the future of our civilization.
Structure
In Part I, we’ll cover the fundamental nature of energy, and its direct relationship with economic abundance.
In Part II, we’ll look at the history of humanity in terms of its major energy transitions. Then, we’ll see that all modern energy usage can be reduced to just 4 core needs.
In Part III, we’ll break down modern energy production methods and evaluate which ones are best suited to meet our long-term demands.
In Part IV, we’ll focus on our energy distribution systems and the important role they play in energy technology adoption.
In Part V, we’ll consider the modern energy storage systems that are enabling the electrification of everything.
In Part VI, we'll look at how energy shapes geopolitics.
In Part VII, we’ll see what current energy technology trends tell us about where the energy industry is headed.
Finally, in Part VIII, we’ll zoom out and look at how energy will define the growth and long-term future of humanity.
