Winter To Bring Energy Deficient Countries To Their Knees
Written by Matthew McKean, CEO and co-founder of Frontieras North America (LinkedIn)
In my world, energy is always top of mind. Just as clean air and water play vital roles in sustaining life, energy provides the platform for us to adapt, advance and move forward. As a result, I often refer to energy as a necessity market.
Without affordable and reliable energy, we as a civilization cease our ability to advance. As I survey the current geopolitical and energy-deficient environment across the globe, I believe that certain countries are on the brink of collapse which is going to change the world order. Countries economic and political collapse will be a result of their inability to deliver abundant energy. There are many causes including: a reliance on a single provider (e.g. Russia), intermittent and unreliable energy production (e.g. renewable), as well as poor energy policies that mothballed existing power plants, resources and research before a proven energy source was able to meet demand.
In Europe, the balance of power has shifted in large part because of energy policies. Germany, an economic powerhouse long recognized for its sensible planning, has been caught with its proverbial pants down. Germany is now on the brink of recession; its energy industry is preparing for gas and power rationing; and it has just nationalized energy giant Uniper, the nation’s largest provider of natural gas. While Germany is not alone in its struggles, it looks like it may fall the furthest and hardest as winter quickly approaches.
According to a recent article in Reuters, Germany faces several obstacles, including an inability to secure enough long-term replacement oil and gas supplies from other countries. Germany’s failure to act quickly, its embracing of renewable energy and its shortsightedness of relying on a single energy provider has highlighted its current shortcomings. Germany is now being forced to go to cash market where it has had to pay about eight times the prices seen a year ago for replacement gas. This has driven up consumer costs, impacted the production of general goods and created angst as the weather is about to turn and demand for energy will rise dramatically.
One question that should be on the minds of all Americans is how far behind is the United States from Germany? The U.S. learned its lesson of relying on a single provider during the 70’s energy crisis. As a result of the energy crisis endured in the 70s, the U.S. expanded beyond its dependence of Middle Eastern oil. Although the U.S. has multiple sources today, we are like Germany in that the U.S. is suffering from years of bad policies that have stifled innovation and exploration when it comes to energy. Like Germany, the U.S. has overly embraced green energy policies over the past two decades, that if not properly recognized as a folly, will result in the U.S. suffering a similar fate as Germany. The current U.S. policies, in a rush to pander to the environmentalist, have seen productive coal plants shut down, incentives for research and development diminished and a general backlash against the coal industry. Coal is the energy source that the United States has been built on and today accounts for a significant amount of energy production for both consumer and industrial industries. According to the World Coal Association, coal accounts for 40% of the world’s electricity. This stat, while impressive, does not even account for the role that coal plays within different industrial applications. I believe that the United States must continue to invest in technology that will allow us to become energy independent and embrace technology innovation as a means forward.
As I have shared within previous blogs, the introduction of Frontieras’ FASForm is a breakthrough from both an innovation and technology standpoint. The U.S. has proven coal reserves equivalent to 347.7 times its annual consumption or approximately 348 years of coal left. Within many circles, the U.S. is considered the Saudi Arabia of coal with thousands of years coal reserves not yet identified because of its location. With an abundance of coal reserves within the United States, we should be looking to invest in new technology that harnesses the true value of the coal at the foundational level and eliminates the negative outputs related to carbon dioxide emissions. Outlined below is how Frontieras FASForm is uniquely positioned to address the current energy crisis in a clean and profitable manner:
Innovation: Frontieras’ FASForm plant extracts high value liquids and gases from solids while producing a purified solid carbon product known as FASCarbon™. FASCarbon is superior to current metallurgical coke used in the production of steel and unprocessed petroleum coke (Petcoke) that is used in the production of cement.
Zero Waste: Frontieras FASForm represents the industry’s first zero-waste processing plant. FASForm plant deploys a continuous-feed refining process for coal and other solids that uses continuous heat and pressure to reform, refine and liberate the constituents of solid carbonaceous materials that contain volatile compounds. By deconstructing the coal to its core elements, Frontieras FASForm removes nearly all sulfur, mercury, and arsenic, as well as the moisture, which upgrades the thermal value of the final carbon product. FASForm captures and repurposes those energy elements so no waste is emitted into the air, water, and soil. This process allows Frontieras to repurpose the captured volatiles, lower the carbon footprint, and reduce CO2 emissions.
Market Impact: FASForm’s unique offering and small footprint can impact the current energy crisis in a positive manner. Frontieras’ FASForm is expected to address .5% of the coal energy use in the U.S. with the construction of its first 7,500-ton a day processing plant in West Virginia. In addition, FASForm has the ability to expand the lifecycle of existing coal plants by augmenting their breadth of energy yields, address changing regulatory issue and deliver a cleaner solution.
As we continue to monitor the global energy market, we will begin to see its true impact on individual countries. I believe that Europe is going to suffer heavily and that the United States, without swift action from the government, will struggle too. Countries have the opportunity today to address their energy shortfalls with the adoption of innovation and prudent energy policies. We must continue to invest in proven solutions (e.g. coal) until there is a suitable replacement. Today’s renewable market has been artificially propped up with government subsidies. As the cold winter months approach, there will be increased demand at every level of society and it is important that affordable, abundant and available energy is just a switch away.
To learn more about Frontieras North America and its patented energy solution or to invest in the company, please visit www.Frontieras.com.