The Historical Transition from Coal to Hydrocarbons: Previous Explanations and the Need for an Integrative Perspective

Abstract

The article deals with the historical transition from coal to oil and natural gas, commonly referred to as hydrocarbons. This transition occurred throughout the industrialized world between the 1940s and 1970s, yet the causes for the shift from coal to hydrocarbons are only marginally understood. Drawing from recent research on historical energy transitions, we examine the takeover of hydrocarbons in the context of the incumbent coal configurations. Building on previous explanations, we identify two analytical perspectives: (1) the view on the overall energy supply system that diversified when hydrocarbons were introduced, and (2) that on the consumers of energy, who replaced coal with hydrocarbon alternatives. The central argument is that the two perspectives need to be integrated to fully understand why hydrocarbons could replace coal. This monumental change in energy history was no simple shift in fuels, but a complex transition that occurred at (1) the level of energy supply, where hydrocarbons became available as alternatives to coal, and (2) the level of energy consumption, where consumers in the areas of railway and maritime transportation, residential heating, industrial production, and electricity generation actively decided to use hydrocarbon alternatives as substitutions for coal.

Biophysical economic interpretation of the Great Depression: A critical period of an energy transition

“…Oil was on the rise, and surpassed coal as the primary fuel for ground transportation in 1931, but about half of the refined petroleum was still being transported by the railroads. In Hughes’ terms, this demonstrates the technological lock‐in, or momentum, which the railroads had in maintaining their role in the dominant socio‐technological regime (Melsted & Pallua, 2018). It can be argued that the railroads suffered in the Great Depression, just like all other sectors, but really the Great Depression was all about breaking the railroad's hegemony on the United States economy.…”

“…Most studies of the energy transition from coal to hydrocarbons focus on the period from the 1940s to the 1970s (Melsted & Pallua, 2018). These were the decades during which much of the transition took place, especially in Western Europe (Hassan & Duncan, 1989;Jensen & Jensen, 1967;Kander et al, 2014; also see 2 ).…”

Nigeria's quest for alternative clean energy development: A cobweb of opportunities, pitfalls and multiple dilemmas

“…In the global energy sector, the innovations that led to a trajectory away from coal and transition to crude oil and gas were multifaceted. These innovations included the discovery and development of large oil and gas fields, competitive pricing of oil and gas relative to coal, and innovations in oil-and gas-related technologies, especially the development of small engines (Melsted and Pallua, 2018). Thus, the development of relevant technologies, both for oil exploitation and end usage represented the important innovations that brought the shift, which inexorably led to the abandonment of coal and embracement of oil and gas.…”

“…For instance, the dominance of coal as a primary energy source plummeted from 62 percent in 1940 to 23 percent in 1970. For the same period under reference, oil and natural gas jumped from 26 percent to almost 70 percent (Melsted and Pallua, 2018).…”

Global energy trilemma

“…Moreover, natural gas is much less harmful from the ecological point of view. For these reasons, gas is often considered as a "bridge" from fossil fuels to renewables (Melsted and Pallua, 2018).…”