Rethinking the global electricity debate: why reliable power matters for economic growth

Human development and economic prosperity have always hinged on the availability of the many products made from fossil fuels, and electricity. From the discovery of fire to the Industrial Revolution, each leap in energy transformation has reshaped societies, increasing productivity, reducing poverty, and improving living standards.

Today, the world faces another critical energy crossroads, with a heated debate on the role of crude oil, renewables, and nuclear power in driving future growth. The primary Energy Literacy educational points to remember are that crude oil, wind and solar renewables, and nuclear power do different things:

• Crude oilis virtually useless in its "raw black tar" format, but once it's put through the refinery processes, human ingenuity has been able to use those manufactured oil derivatives to benefit mankind. The population growth occurred as a result of the more than 6,000 products in today's society that are based on the oil derivatives manufactured from that black raw crude oil, the same products that did not exist before the 1800's. These are products that people need and use every day, without even realizing that they come from the refining process. Without oil, we are back in the stone age.
• Renewableslike wind and solar generate electricity that is NOT continuous, intermittent, and NOT dispatchable electricity. In addition, renewables CANNOT make any of the more than 6,000 products made from oil.
• Nucleargenerates continuous, uninterruptable, dispatchable electricity. In addition, like renewables, nuclear CANNOT make any of the more than 6,000 products made from oil. But it CAN provide reliable, clean electricity and heat used to produce these valuable products made from oil.
• Electricity came about AFTER the discovery of oil. ALL six methods for the generation of electricity from hydro, coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, and solar are ALL built with the products, components, and equipment that are made from the oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil. Without oil, there would be no electricity!
• Everything that needs electricity to function like iPhones, computers, data centers, and X-Ray machines are all made with petrochemicals manufactured from crude oil. Without fossil fuels, there would be nothing that needs electricity!

Lessons from History: The Power of Energy Transformations

The first energy transformation-harnessing fire-gave humans the ability to cook food and survive harsher climates, catalyzing brain development and physical strength.

The second major energy transformation

Thousands of years later, after the discovery of oil, one of the last major energy transformations started in Great Britain in the 18th Century. It came to be known as the Industrial Revolution. Fueled by coal, oil, and gas, it shifted economies from agriculture to large-scale mechanized production, creating wealth, reducing poverty, and sparking unprecedented improvements in health, employment, and living standards.

This era, with the thousands of products made from oil, saw the rise of electricity, enabling vast advancements in industry and infrastructure. Crucially, fossil fuels provided reliable, affordable, and dispatchable products and electricity-qualities that remain vital today.

The Industrial Revolution transformed economies that had primarily been based on agriculture and handicrafts into economies based on large-scale mechanised production processes. It spread throughout Europe and America, and across the world. Many other social and technical innovations helped and coincided with the transformation, including the development of electricity.

The impact of increased available of products and electricity on human productivity was unprecedented. The increase came from the enormous increase in energy available per person. When these processes were successfully implemented, the entire population benefitted from substantial increases in the standard of living, resulting in higher employment and poverty reduction.

The third opportunity, Nuclear Power

The world never really made the next giant leap in electricity generation transformation which is to nuclear power. This is another solar driven event but not from the earths sun. It is storage of energy power and heat into nuclear storage, such as uranium and other nuclear materials. Their life can be measured in millions of years and arises from changes and explosions in stars and star structures involving nova, supernova and collisions which form these nuclear materials. Their power and lives are virtually infinite.