The first urban civilizations -- the lower Mesopotamian towns and the wooden cities of Shang, China (3200 BCE and 2000 BCE, respectively) -- relied on the same fuels to cook their meals, fire their bricks, and smelt their metal as did large and opulent cities like Venice and Paris in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Not until very recently has there been a concerted effort to find better fuels that are more abundant, affordable and sustainable.

This issue of Energy Today considers a few current and next-generation fuels in the context of emerging markets, politics and policy, as well as cases when fuel is an unreasonable solution. A bonus article for Premium Members of AES is a primer on coal-to-hydrogen.


Editor's note: When reading this issue of Energy Today, please remember, as a non-partisan, non-lobbying, energy-neutral professional association, ​the views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not reflect an official policy or position of the American Energy Society.

Natural Gas: The Real Energy Revolution

by Mark Mills (AES Energy Writer of the Year 2016)


Whether or not natural gas is actually a "bridge fuel," its ascendancy, along with that of the US as a global supplier, has far-reaching implications.

Indeed, this energy revolution is about natural gas. 

See also: The Frackers, a book excerpt.

Carbon Loophole:
Why Is Wood Burning Counted As Green Energy?

by Fred Pearce

Since 2009, the 28 nations of the European Union have embarked on a dramatic switch to generating power from renewable energy. While most headlines have highlighted the rise of wind and solar, much of the new “green” power has actually come from burning wood in converted coal power stations.

See also: Climate Induced Wildfires

Achieving Carbon Emission Reductions With Biofuels

Op-Ed by Pat Gruber, CEO, Gevo

It's a gaping hole in most conversations about fuel: what do we do about liquid transportation fuels? No matter how quickly we try to electrify our transportation sector, gasoline isn’t going away. Diesel isn’t going away. Jet fuel certainly isn’t going away.

What about replacing them with lower-emission biofuels?

Recent research has brought to fruition the possibility of replacing gallons of diesel fuel, gasoline, and jet fuel.

See also: 45Q for CarbonTech

The Sun Also Accelerates: Solar Power In the Congo

By Beth Duff-Brown

In this compassionate, first-person account written especially for Energy Today, Beth Duff-Brown asks us to think about affordable, abundant, and sustainable energy in Congo in the context of government corruption, endless conflict, and the emotional and physical toll of gathering, carrying, prepping and stoking traditional fuels, like wood.

The promise of next-generation fuels are real, but they may not be a viable or realistic solution for everyone. 

See also: Dan Kammen: Adventures in Clean Energy

Hydrogen Fuel From Carbon

By Jessica Allen

How do we transform coal, which is often thought of as simply made of carbon, into hydrogen – a completely different element?

In simple terms, coal is a mixture of two components: carbon-based matter (the decayed remains of prehistoric vegetation) and mineral matter (which comes from the ground ). The carbon-based matter is composed of five main elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. 

Coal is formed as it progresses from biomass (newly dead plant matter) to charcoal (almost pure carbon), with a whole lot of hydrogen in between. ​

News from the Society

The Editors of Energy Today welcome submissions of original articles for publication consideration. Please contact the editorial staff by email with questions or attach the proposed article as a Word document.