Big energy. What is so much and how to live with it (Category Economics)
I have already read the second book by Andrei Kosko, a popularizer of science, who in his first book “Let there be light”. and warmth! How much does energy cost already addressed the topic of energy. I'm talking about her. toldBut in short, there he was on his fingers explaining what energy is and where it comes from, answering questions like, "When will we run out of oil?" and "Will we switch to solar-powered cars?" based on basic physics, economics and politics. In the second book "Big Energy" 2022 Andrey continues this topic on a more global level, but like the first edition, it is written for a wide audience and does not require special knowledge above the school course. However, now the author shifts the focus from everyday aspects to “big energy” – the global energy system, markets and geopolitics. This is a logical development: having received a basic understanding of energy in the first book, the reader in the second immerses himself in the complex issues of international energy and gets answers to questions of the kind. What will happen to climate change? Why is electric transportation so active all over the world? What causes price shocks in oil and gas markets and drives the dynamics of hydrocarbon supply?
Andrey supports the conclusions with official documents, statistics and real examples. The book covers the technical, economic, trade and political aspects of energy production, transportation and consumption. Thanks to such an integrated approach, the reader gets a holistic idea of how large energy is arranged - from the well and power plant to the outlet in the house, and what forces drive this system. This topic is especially important today: the world is going through a difficult stage in the energy sector, when the traditional hydrocarbon market is becoming increasingly unpredictable due to geopolitical and economic shocks, and in parallel new factors such as global electrification and the rapid growth of electricity demand from IT and artificial intelligence are gaining weight.
The structure of the book
The book is logically divided into four parts, each of which answers a specific block of questions. Part I: statistics. What and how much? - here is data on key energy resources: oil, natural gas (including liquefied - LNG)Coal, electricity and their role in the global energy mix. Part II: “Trade. Who and to whom? – dedicated to the global energy market. We discuss what the energy market is and how energy is transformed into a commodity. Part III: “Ecology”. What should I do? – focuses on climate and ecology. Here the author analyzes the problem of global warming, the greenhouse effect and their direct connection with energy. Part IV: “Politics”. How to live with it? – The final part about energy policy and security. Kosko describes the concept of energy security and recalls the energy crises of the past to show their lessons. The activities of international energy organizations are reviewed and regional strategies are analyzed.
Although the book came out 2022 This year, its content remains very relevant at the end of the year. 2025 years. In recent years, the energy landscape has undergone dramatic changes, but the trends described by Kosko have only intensified. The hydrocarbon market is still feverish: after volatility 2022–2023 Oil and gas prices soar and fall in response to geopolitics, sanctions and OPEC decisions. Electric transport continues to gain popularity around the world, fulfilling the book’s predictions. At the same time, artificial intelligence and the digital economy are making a new demand for electricity: the capacity of data centers and supercomputers for AI is growing exponentially. It is estimated that now 5–15% of the energy consumption of data centers falls on AI tasks, and 2030 This percentage may increase to 35–50%. Environmental issues are still there: 2023–2025 The years have brought record-breaking natural anomalies, highlighting the urgency of tackling climate change – thereby supporting the importance of the climate agenda discussed in the book.
#Engineering #History