Visualizing The History of Energy Transitions

18/10/23, 14:40 Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions
Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions
MARKETS TECHNOLOGY MONEY HEALTHCARE ENERGY MAPS MINING GREEN FEATURED COMPANIES CREATOR
ENERGY
Visualizing the History of Energy Tr

Published 2 years ago on April 8, 2022
By Govind Bhutada
Quick Quotes at a c
With Quick Quotes, you can gene
container shipping quote in just 3
hapag-lloyd.com
ADVERTISEMENT
Subscribe to the Elements free mailing list for more like thi
protección de reCAPTCHA
-
Privacidad - Términos
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-history-of-energy-transitions/ 1/9
ADVERTISEMENT
The History of Energy Transitions

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful
visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week. J
r
Over the last 200 years, how we’ve gotten our energy has changed drastically⁠.
These changes were driven by innovations like the steam engine, oil lamps, internal combustion
engines, and the wide-scale use of electricity. The shift from a primarily agrarian global economy
to an industrial one called for new sources to provide more efficient energy inputs.

ADVERTISEMENT
The current energy transition is powered by the realization that avoiding the catastrophic effects
of climate change requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This infographic provides
historical context for the ongoing shift away from fossil fuels using data from Our World in Data
and scientist Vaclav Smil.
Coal and the First Energy Transition
Before the Industrial Revolution, people burned wood and dried manure to heat homes and cook
food, while relying on muscle power, wind, and water mills to grind grains. Transportation was
aided by using carts driven by horses or other animals.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the prices of firewood and charcoal skyrocketed due to shortages.
These were driven by increased consumption from both households and industries as economies
grew and became more sophisticated.
Consequently, industrializing economies like the UK needed a new, cheaper source of energy.
They turned to coal, marking the beginning of the first major energy transition.
Year Traditional Biomass % of Energy Mix Coal % of Energy Mix
1800 98.3% 1.7%
1820 97.6% 2.4%
1840 95.1% 4.9%
1860 86.8% 13.3%
1880 73.0% 26.7%
1900 50.4% 47.2%
1920 38.4% 54.4%
1940 31.6% 50.7%
ADVERTISEMENT

As coal use and production increased, the cost of producing it fell due to economies of scale.
Simultaneously, technological advances and adaptations brought about new ways to use coal.
The steam engine—one of the major technologies behind the Industrial Revolution—was heavily
reliant on coal, and homeowners used coal to heat their homes and cook food. This is evident in
the growth of coal’s share of the global energy mix, up from 1.7% in 1800 to 47.2% in 1900.
The Rise of Oil and Gas
In 1859, Edwin L. Drake built the first commercial oil well in Pennsylvania, but it was nearly a
century later that oil became a major energy source.
Before the mass production

MARKETS TECHNOLOGY of automobiles,
MONEY oil was
HEALTHCARE mainly
ENERGY MAPSused for lamps.
MINING GREENOilFEATURED
demand from
COMPANIES CREATOR
internal combustion engine vehicles started climbing after the introduction of assembly lines,
and it took off after World War II as vehicle purchases soared.
Similarly, the invention of the Bunsen burner opened up new opportunities to use natural gas in
households. As pipelines came into place, gas became a major source of energy for home heating,
cooking, water heaters, and other appliances.
Year Coal % of Energy Mix Oil % of Energy Mix Natural Gas % of Energy Mix
1950 44.2% 19.1% 7.3%
1960 37.0% 26.6% 10.7%
1970 25.7% 40.2% 14.5%
1980 23.8% 40.6% 16.3%
1990 24.4% 35.5% 18.4%
2000 22.5% 35.1% 19.7%
Coal lost the home heating market to gas and electricity, and the transportation market to oil.
Despite this, it became the world’s most important source of electricity generation and still
accounts for over one-third of global electricity production today.
The Transition to Renewable Energy

Renewable energy sources are at the center of the ongoing energy transition. As countries ramp
up their efforts to curb emissions, solar and wind energy capacities are expanding globally.
Here’s how the share of renewables in the global energy mix changed over the last two decades:
Year Traditional Biomass Renewables Fossil Fuels Nuclear Power
2000 10.2% 6.6% 77.3% 5.9%
2005
2010
8.7%
7.7%
6.5%
7.7%
79.4%
79.9%
5.4%
4.7%

2015 6.9% 9.2% 79.9% 4.0%
2020 6.7% 11.2% 78.0% 4.0%
In the decade between 2000 and 2010, the share of renewables increased by just 1.1%. But the
growth is speeding up—between 2010 and 2020, this figure stood at 3.5%.
Furthermore, the current energy transition is unprecedented in both scale and speed, with
climate goals requiring net-zero emissions by 2050. That essentially means a complete fade-out of
fossil fuels in less than 30 years and an inevitable rapid increase in renewable energy generation.
Renewable energy capacity additions were on track to set an annual record in 2021, following a
record year in 2020.
MARKETS Additionally,
TECHNOLOGY MONEYglobal energy transition
HEALTHCARE ENERGY MAPSinvestment
MINING hit a record
GREEN of $755
FEATURED billion
COMPANIES CREATOR
in 2021.
However, history shows that simply adding generation capacity is not enough to facilitate an
energy transition. Coal required mines, canals, and railroads; oil required wells, pipelines, and
refineries; electricity required generators and an intricate grid.
Similarly, a complete shift to low-carbon sources requires massive investments in natural

resources, infrastructure, and grid storage, along with changes in our energy consumption habits.
RELATED TOPICS: # History # Oil # Energy # Coal # Gas # Renewables # Biomass # Fossil Fuels # Transition
DON'T MISS UP NEXT

Interactive Map: Crude Oil Pipelines and Mapped: U.S. Wind Electricity Generation

Refineries of the U.S. and Canada by State  
CLICK FOR COMMENTS
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Wh El i i S P h Whi h C i A M R li Wh ’ S ill B i R i F il
How Big is the Market for Crude Oil? Visualized: The 4 Billion Year Path of How EV Adoption Will Impact Oil
Human Evolution Consumption (2015-2025P)
BATTERIES
Visualized: How Much Do EV Batteries Cost?

The cost of electric vehicle batteries can vary based on size and chemical composition.
Here are the battery costs of six popular EV models.
Published
Bruno2 days ago on October 15, 2023
Venditti
By
How Much Do EV Batteries Cost?

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful
visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every other week.
The cost of an electric vehicle (EV) battery pack can vary depending on composition and
chemistry.
In this graphic, we use data from Benchmark Minerals Intelligence to showcase the
different costs of battery cells on popular electric vehicles.
Size Matters
Some EV owners are taken by surprise when they discover the cost of replacing their
batteries. CONTINUE READING

POPULAR
PERSONAL FINANCE / 2 weeks ago MONEY / 9 hours ago AUTOMOTIVE / 23 hours ago
Visualizing
Charted: Retirement the History
Age by Country of Energy
Visualizing the TopTransitions
Countries by Visualizing U.S. EV Sales in H1 2023
Wealth per Person
BATTERIES / 2 days ago VISUAL CAPITALIST / 5 days ago WEALTH / 5 days ago
Visualized: How Much Do EV Batteries Introducing Voronoi: Waitlist Now Where the Ultra-Rich Spend Their
Cost? Open! Holidays
     
ABOUT SUBSCRIBE VC+ MASTHEAD PRESS CENTER CAREERS
CONTACT US FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS STORE USE OUR VISUALIZATIONS LICENSING
Copyright © 2023 Visual Capitalist

Visualizing The History of Energy Transitions

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Visualizing The History of Energy Transitions

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

18/10/23, 14:40 Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions

Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions

Visualizing the History of Energy Tr

Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions

Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions

The History of Energy Transitions

Coal and the First Energy Transition

Year Traditional Biomass % of Energy Mix Coal % of Energy Mix

1800 98.3% 1.7%

1820 97.6% 2.4%

1840 95.1% 4.9%

1860 86.8% 13.3%

1880 73.0% 26.7%

1900 50.4% 47.2%

1920 38.4% 54.4%

1940 31.6% 50.7%

The Rise of Oil and Gas

Before the mass production

1950 44.2% 19.1% 7.3%

1960 37.0% 26.6% 10.7%

1970 25.7% 40.2% 14.5%

1980 23.8% 40.6% 16.3%

1990 24.4% 35.5% 18.4%

2000 22.5% 35.1% 19.7%

The Transition to Renewable Energy

Year Traditional Biomass Renewables Fossil Fuels Nuclear Power

2000 10.2% 6.6% 77.3% 5.9%

2020 6.7% 11.2% 78.0% 4.0%

Similarly, a complete shift to low-carbon sources requires massive investments in natural

DON'T MISS UP NEXT

CLICK FOR COMMENTS

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions

Visualized: How Much Do EV Batteries Cost?

Visualizing the History of Energy Transitions

How Much Do EV Batteries Cost?

ABOUT SUBSCRIBE VC+ MASTHEAD PRESS CENTER CAREERS

CONTACT US FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS STORE USE OUR VISUALIZATIONS LICENSING

Copyright © 2023 Visual Capitalist

You might also like