Electricity
Electricity supply is in the forefront of public concern. This is because electricity end use is so darn useful. Effective Transition Engineering in the electricity area requires knowledge, consideration and contextualization of the whole energy system:
- Natural Resource Extraction, Civil Engineering Infrastructure
- Emissions, Pollution, Biodiversity, Water Use, Land Use, Mineral Use
- Mechanical and Electrical Power Engineering of Energy Conversion Processes and Technology, EROI
- Power Engineering, Transmission Lines, Dynamics and Controls
- Markets, Costs, Policy, Standards, Social Justice, Economic Benefit
- Mechanical and Electrical Engineering End Use Devices, Conversions, Energy Services
- Quality of Life, Risks, Security, Safety, Sustainability
The one common element that has come out of all of the Transition Engineering work in electricity to date is one critically important and disturbing idea:
Western societies use too much electricity and demand must decline in order to transition to low-carbon renewable energy systems.
