energy transition
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CT: Energy transition refers to the global energy sector’s shift from fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption — including oil, natural gas and coal — to renewable energy sources like wind and solar, as well as lithium-ion batteries.

The increasing penetration of renewable energy into the energy supply mix, the onset of electrification and improvements in energy storage are all key drivers of the energy transition.

Regulation and commitment to decarbonization has been mixed, but the energy transition will continue to increase in importance as investors prioritize environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.

S: SPGlobal – https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/what-is-energy-transition#:~:text=Highlights,well%20as%20lithium%2Dion%20batteries. (last access: 24 January 2024)

N: 1. – energy (n.) 1590s, from French énergie, from Late Latin energia, from Greek energeia “activity, action, operation,” from energos “active, working”.

– transition (n.) mid-15c., transicion, in grammar, from Latin transitionem (nominative transitio) “a going across or over,” noun of action from past-participle stem of transire “go or cross over”.

2. The shift from an energy supply system based on non-renewable energies to a system complying with sustainable development principles, namely by making changes to the production, consumption and distribution of energy.

3. The energy transition is a change in the primary form of energy consumption of a given society; e.g., the historic transition from wood to coal and then to oil and gas in industrial Europe; the current shift from biomass fuels to commercial energy in some areas of the developing world. 

4. The energy transition is a continuing process requiring long-term energy strategies and planning, with a country-tailored focus on applying appropriated energy technologies to reach net-zero emissions. We know that a net-zero emissions pathway will be more successful if trade-offs in energy supply and demand are acknowledged and mitigated. This means an integrated, people-centred approach, in which all available energy technologies play their important role in transforming local and national energy systems. 

5. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention the following books about “energy transition”:

  • Energy and Civilization: a History by Vaclav Smil.
  • The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by Daniel Yergin.
  • Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air by David J C MacKay.
  • Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry by Travis Bradford.
  • The Planet Remade by Oliver Morton.

S: 1. OED – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=energy+transition (last access: 24 January 2024). 2. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=energy+transition&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 24 January 2024). 3. SD – https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/energy-transition (last access: 24 January 2024). 4. UNDP – https://www.undp.org/energy/our-work-areas/energy-transition (last access: 24 January 2024). 5. FB – https://fivebooks.com/best-books/energy-transitions/ (last access: 24 January 2024)

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CR: energy, green hydrogen, hydrocarbon, just transition, rational use of energy, specific speed, wood energy.