Searching for Evidence of an Energy Transition

Every year new and comprehensive data is released about global energy consumption. The dataset is 60 years in most cases. Going back further is also possible by piecing together several sources.

Since energy is the oxygen of the economy (personal, local, regional, national, and global) understanding information about the energy we consume is critical for facilitating rational conversations about energy policy, particularly when it comes to emissions of greenhouse gases.

Is a fast-paced energy transition underway? From a macro point of view, the data does not support this conclusion although it may be happening in certain energy sub-sectors (e.g., electricity) albeit not at speed. Charting the data and using a simple math concept of inflection points, which represent major shifts in the direction of data, reveals obvious conclusions.