Last month marked an end to my time at Heriot Watt, before I move onto a position at another University. My last day coincided with the celebrations for James Watt’s birthday on January 19th. It seemed relevant, then, to reflect back on how James Watt drove the industrial age, paving the way for the use of fossil fuels. It is also a great opportunity to look forward to new beginnings in the energy transition, the role that geologists will play in it, and why I believe that it is most exciting time in human history to be considering a career in geoscience.
James Watt and the Rise of Fossil Fuels
James Watt was born in Greenock, Scotland in 1736. He famously played an instrumental role in the development of the steam engine for use in industry. Whilst rudimentary steam engines were available at the time, they were hugely inefficient. His modifications allowed for steam to be used to fuel entire mills and factories, and saw a move from hand-production methods to mechanized means. This period, from the 1760s – early 1800s was known as the first ‘Industrial Revolution.’
This rapid rise in the use of steam was fueled by the coal available around the UK. With plentiful jobs and increased quality of living, the population boomed. So did the demand for energy, and over the next 100 years, coal usage steadily increased. However, coal was to be replaced in the 1960s as the North Sea oil industry got underway. Seen as a much cleaner fuel, gas has replaced coal for much of the energy production in the UK. Nuclear too has ramped up in recent decades.
The Zero Emissions Age
The demise of the coal industry in the UK is due, primarily, to its replacement by cleaner energies, and we are now on the brink of a new revolution: the zero emissions age. Government targets aim to close all coal power plants by 2025, and is already succeeding in coal-free days (or weeks)! There is also growing investment in renewable technologies. In 2019, the UK regularly saw electricity generation divided equally three ways between fossil fuels (coal and gas), renewables (solar, wind, hydro) and other (nuclear, biomass) sources, with the decline of fossil sources expected to continue as the coal power stations close.
However, one fossil fuel remains hugely important to energy supply and energy stability in the UK. Today, gas has provided over 40% of our electricity, and will continue to be an important contributor to energy supply for many years to come. This is because of the reliability of gas. It is easy to store, and quick to convert to power, allowing it to be used to supplement renewable sources when the sun doesn't shine to produce solar power, when the wind doesn't blow to produce wind power, or when the rain doesn't pour for hydroelectric. As electricity storage systems become more advanced, the demand for gas will begin to decrease, but until then it will play a vital role in UK energy supply.
The Role of the Geoscientist in a Zero Emissions World.
The predicted decline of fossil fuels in the next decade, alongside the recent remarkable level of climate change activism from younger generations in the past year are thought to be resulting in a strong decline in uptake of the geosciences at schools and universities. The association between geology and 'dirty' or carbon-heavy industries is indeed justified when you look back over history, back to the Industrial Revolution. However, here we look forward to the crucial role geoscientist play in providing energy in a clean, zero emissions world.
A recent meeting on the role of geoscience in decarbonisation at the Geological Society highlighted the breadth of research being done by geoscientists into low carbon energies. Some of the key ways in which geoscientists can contribute to a zero emissions age were:
Supporting renewable energy developments, for example in de-risking possible hydroelectric sites, or understanding the suitability of the seabed for offshore wind farm development. Geoscientists also have an important role to play in waste management at nuclear power plants.
Substituting gas-fired domestic heating with geothermal energy. Numerous pilot studies are already testing the possibility of geothermal energy generation and storage in the UK. You can read about some of the projects in my previous blog post here.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS). A recent report on emissions by the UK Committee on Climate Change highlighted that, due to the continuing reliance on gas for electricity production, "CCS is a necessity, not an option." Geoscience will play an important role in managing the risks of this technology.
Providing raw materials to expand electrification and storage. With announcement this week that sales of petrol and diesel cars being banned from 2035, the demand for the raw materials to make batteries on an industrial scale will increase in the coming decades. Additional raw materials are required for solar cells, fuel cells, wind turbines, low-energy lighting and computers, all requiring exploration and extraction from the Earth.
A Pivotal Year Ahead in the Energy Transition
There is no doubt that climate change awareness and activism is in the spotlight like never before, with both the Scottish and UK governments declaring a 'climate emergency' in 2019. The urgency in changing (or even reversing) the rate of carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels is real. But I believe that the UK is well placed to achieve the ambitious goals set out to reach net zero carbon emission by 2045 (Scotland) and 2050 (UK).
"Scotland and Glasgow helped to lead the world into the industrial age – we now have an obligation and an opportunity to lead the world into the zero emissions age" - Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP, All-Energy 2019.
The challenge will be to achieve net zero whilst ensuring energy stability and security. The United Nations have developed a series of 'Sustainable Development' Goals (SDG) to promote peace and prosperity for people and the planet, including Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. This will be a key topic of discussion at the upcoming COP26 climate change summit, held in Glasgow in November this year. An estimated 845 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia currently have no access to electricity (Stephenson et al. 2019). To achieve the UN SDG 7, unprecedented advances in technology, resource utilisation and Earth Systems understanding will be required. We undoubtedly need the best scientists and engineers to tackle these issues, and I fully believe this is the most exciting time in human history to be considering a career in geoscience.
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