Exploring Alternatives: Is a Just Energy Transition Possible Without Combustion?

A so-called energy transition is underway, and it is a complex and challenging process, at least for those who have a basic grasp of how the laws of physics and thermodynamics operate. One of the key issues is how to ensure that this transition is inclusive (“just”) and it does not jeopardize the enormous investments in people and industrial infrastructures that have been made in the past decades. Combustion is a key process technology in the current energy system, and it can continue to play a key role in a just energy transition, provided that we find ways to “de-fossilize” combustion, so that it does not contribute to climate change. While there are a number of challenges to face, these are not necessarily more difficult or costly to meet, than those that the current rush to “electrification” seems to conveniently ignore. It is therefore important to consider all potential routes to a just energy transition, taking into account all possible renewable energy carriers (electrons and chemical species of biological and non-biological origin), energy efficiency measures and technologies that enable circularity over the entire energy system. In the present study, we present an inclusive path for a just energy transition, one that does not need to impose a priori bans and recognizes the necessity of investing our necessarily limited resources based on holistic considerations.