Energy Services
I claim that you have absolutely no interest in your energy source. What you ultimately care about is what the energy is used for.
Here is a short list of services that are provided by energy.
- Lighting
- Heating
- Cooling
- Power
- Transportation
- Computation
Note that the heating of water could be provided using natural gas or the sun. Most consumers are indifferent to the energy source used to provide the service.
Lighting
Energy sources have included:
- Biomass
- Whale oil
- Town gas
- Kerosene
- Electricity
Heating
Energy sources have included:
- Solar radiation
- Wood
- Natural Gas
- Oil
- Electricity
Cooling
Energy sources:
- Solar radiation
- Natural gas / propane
- Electricity
Transportation
- Horses
- Natural Gas
- Hydrogen
- Electricity
- Wind power
Transportation Technologies and Modes
- Internal combustion
- Electric motors
- Trains
- Buses
- Cars
- Bicycles
- Micromobility (scooters, one-wheel devices, skateboards)
Service Transitions
Transitioning services between technologies or energy sources has effects on stakeholders
Learning Curves
Wright’s Law states that every time to total amount of production of a technology doubles, the cost falls by a fixed percentage.
Solar photovoltaic panels drop approximately 20% in price for each doubling of the total amount (in watts) of panels produced. This is called Swanson’s Law.
We don’t see the same kind of predictable declines with resources.
Technology transition examples
An electric heating technology transition from resistance heating to heat pumps is occurring.
An electric cooking technology transition from resistance heating to induction is occurring.
Both of these have the same secondary energy source, but the technology is changing.