Last month's winter storm in Texas has laid bare the need to make systemic improvements in our nation’s infrastructure, particularly in energy.
On the heels of President Biden laying out his vision for the country to tackle climate change by pursuing more clean energy technologies to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, he has also signaled changes to fossil fuel production, including for oil and natural gas. Now, environmental groups and elected officials are pushing Biden to phase out and ban fossil fuels quickly.
As we rightly move toward decarbonization to address the climate crisis, it would be a mistake to ignore the valuable contributions that hydrocarbons will play in helping us achieve this goal. While scientists tell us we must act now, we must also listen to the engineers and chemists who will tell us how to get there. A review of clean energy supply chains demonstrates that hydrocarbons are an essential part of the low-carbon future.
For example, key components of clean power sources cannot be manufactured without materials derived from oil and gas, which are essentially sources of hydrocarbons. These include solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, geothermal energy, and most energy efficiency materials. Whether they are polymers used in solar panel back sheets, carbon fibers for wind turbine blades, PVC pipes for heat energy, or energy efficiency and weatherization materials in new or retrofitted homes, buildings, and appliances (such as insulation and panels, caulking, energy-controlled window films, or even LED lights), they are all made from oil or natural gas liquids such as ethane.
Even new refrigerants to replace harmful hydrofluorocarbons are made from hydrocarbons. The same goes for utility-scale battery storage facilities, which use oil-based products for conducting material and packaging. And high-performance plastics are essential for manufacturing semiconductors, the key component of solar panels and all personal electronics.
Moreover, even if we were to electrify our economy completely, as some climate plans call for, the expansion of our electrical grids will require oil-based materials such as mineral oil used in transformer boxes, oil-based preservatives for utility poles, and plastic protective sheathing for power lines.
On the transportation side, while electric vehicles use lithium batteries to generate power, individual batteries within these vehicles are separated by a plastic sheathing and protected by a plastic package to protect against overheating and outside elements. Further, most roads today still use oil-based materials such as tarmac or asphalt, and most vehicle tires today are made with synthetic rubber, another product made in part with hydrocarbons.
Administration officials also tout the need to rebuild our infrastructure, which is absolutely necessary. However, we must not forget that many components of infrastructure use hydrocarbons for their creation, such as manufacturing of cement, steel, and other building materials. Alternative fuel sources are available for use in these power-heavy manufacturing pursuits, but they remain cost-prohibitive, and their effectiveness is unproven. Even components used to combat wildland fires that have been exacerbated by climate change, including foams and retardants, are currently made from hydrocarbons. And leading carbon capture technologies, a critical net-zero emission solution, use hydrocarbon-based chemical solvents and compounds in their operations.
These are just a few examples that show that until clean energy technologies can be reliably and affordably manufactured without products made from hydrocarbons, we will continue to need to rely on hydrocarbons in limited ways. While it may feel counterintuitive, the clean energy sector and the oil and gas industry, along with the financial sector, must work collaboratively to lead us into the low-carbon future in an achievable manner.
It is commendable that Biden has set out a bold vision to take action on the climate and create good jobs to build the low-carbon future, which includes reducing the burning of hydrocarbons for power and transportation. To turn the tide on the climate crisis, we must move beyond hyperbole and highly polarizing rhetoric and be open to commonsense solutions. Most importantly, all stakeholders, including the private sector, should have a seat at the table to discuss challenges and opportunities to ensure access to feedstocks for manufacturing clean energy technologies, especially to create jobs here at home.
The low-carbon transformation should not forestall the safe and reliable supply chains for the essential materials that make up most or all of the clean energy technologies that power our homes and businesses and transport us where we need to go. If we act without intellectual honesty about how things work, including key resources and supply chains, we will be doomed to repeat past climate mistakes.
Marcus Lee is an energy policy practitioner with extensive experience in domestic and international energy and climate policy in the government and private sectors.
