Challenges and opportunities facing chemical engineers and scientists in the energy industry have been highlighted by Desmond King, incoming president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, in his presidential address.
King, president of Chevron Technology Ventures, told an audience of IChemE members and invited guests: “For those of us from the developed nations of the world, energy is easy to overlook precisely because it is so accessible. But without access to energy, society would quickly devolve back to the very basics of survival.
“For billions of people around the world, affordable energy is the lifeblood that delivers nutrition, sanitation, health, education, transportation and every other critical element of life....energy is more than just a fuel. It is the catalyst that makes modern life possible.”
King’s address, Energy, Carbon, Renewables and the Chemical Engineer, suggested how chemical engineers could play an important role in the growing renewables sector and discussed the significance of energy efficiency as global energy demands increase. “For energy efficiency and renewables to reach the scale required to make a difference it will require a lot of people to work together," he said. "And it all starts with entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers — including chemical engineers — to come up with the great ideas and the technical breakthroughs."
Role of government in energy development
But ideas and breakthroughs aren't enough, he added. Investors must provide capital to help take these ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. And Governments also have a role to play. "They must develop sound public policy, encourage and enable basic research, and ensure a business environment in which the market determines winners and losers. Society needs to appreciate that it will take a lot of time and development for renewables to reach the scale to be a significant contributor to the energy mix.
"“Finally, it will take industry to demonstrate emerging technologies and deploy them at scale," he said. "Delivering massive amounts of electrons and molecules to a global marketplace reliably and affordably will require organisations with experience, expertise, infrastructure, and capital. And that’s true regardless of their origin of the electrons — be they from natural gas, wind, or solar. Or of the molecules, be they from oil or biomass.”
King, who holds a PhD in chemical engineering from Cambridge University and a Bachelor’s degree from Imperial College, was a chemical engineering college professor for two years before joining Chevron in 1981.
