Selected Sources for Energy Research
Jinfo Blog

By Adrian Janes

Abstract

DocuTicker editors contribute brief articles to FUMSI on conducting research with grey literature - reports from government agencies, think tanks, research institutes and public interest organisations.

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In my work as a contributing editor for DocuTicker, I research publicly available reports on a number of global topics. Here are some of my favourite resources for energy:

Energy is a critical issue from many angles, whether environmental, economic, scientific, social or political.  The range of information sources that might be drawn upon is equally large.  An article of this size can therefore be only an introduction that at least gives some useful pointers.

Energy has both national and international dimensions. UN Data is very useful on the national level.  Under Country Data Services are links to the official statistics service of each country.  Alternatively, the Energy Statistics Database presents the figures primarily in respect of the energy source (e.g. geothermal, lignite/brown coal) and then by country over a number of years.  And although it is necessary to acknowledge that its coverage can be patchy, Wikipedia's Energy by Country page can be a helpful start.   

America's foreign policy is clearly related to its needs as the world's biggest energy consumer.  It is therefore understandable that, as well as being a prime source for domestic statistics, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a powerhouse of information on the rest of the world through its Country Energy Profiles.  

A very full collection of British statistics can be found on the Department of Energy and Climate Change website, with figures by energy source and also for energy consumption by region and local authority.  

More broadly, statistics across Europe are available through Eurostat's Energy Portal:  Panorama of Energy (PDF) is the key statistical work. Many more publications covering aspects of European energy production and use can be found via the EU Bookshop, where Energy has a searchable section in its own right.  

Globally, the International Energy Agency (IEA), part of the OECD, is a key factor.  One of its leading publications is the World Energy Outlook.  Although the full work has to be paid for, the Executive Summary (PDF) is freely available, as are the fact sheets (PDF) derived from it.  

The basic division of energy sources is between fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), nuclear power and renewables (e.g. solar, wind, biomass). 

The US Department of Energy provides brief introductions to all of the various types, with links to governmental offices and laboratories which can yield additional information.  It is complemented by the facts and figures provided by the EIA.  The MIT Energy Initiative is a good summary of the qualities of alternative energy sources    

Concentrating on the renewables sector, EREC (European Renewable Energy Council) provides a list of the websites of the continent's trade associations, which in turn serve as good sources on such topics as wind power (PDF) and ocean energy (PDF).  Reports like these are important for their in-depth assessment of a particular energy source, and its potential contribution to a future which will inevitably require a range of sources as demands continue to increase worldwide and some sources gradually diminish.  

Concerning resource depletion, the specialist news aggregator Energy Bulletin, although starting from a concern with the implications of peak oil (explaining the issue in its Peak Oil Primer), also has many stories on other resources and regions, although they are not as separated out from other stories as one would expect.   

A more general energy news aggregator which pulls in stories from all over the world is World Energy Sources, a channel of the World News Network.  

Nonetheless, even while a search for alternatives to oil is an important area of scientific research, it remains a critical energy source in today's world.  The IEA is responsible for Oil Market Report, an overview of current developments which has an archive of figures back to 1990 on such matters as Demand, Supply and Stocks.  OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is another rich source of data and reports, and issues its own Monthly Oil Market Report (PDF).  

How vital oil remains is demonstrated by the current (March 2010) dispute between Argentina and the UK over the latter's exploration for oil in the region of the Falkland Islands/Malvinas.  A number of papers, reports and legal measures related to this are given by the Falkland Islands' Department of Mineral Resources; significantly, this is part of the website of the British Geological Survey, suggesting how at least some geological work feeds into energy discovery and thus the wider economy.  From this perspective it may therefore also be worth examining the work of other geological surveys.  A list of these has been put together by the UC Berkeley Library.  

Such disputes are one aspect of the whole question of energy security. The Journal of Energy Security is focused on this issue and provides detailed full-text articles, with an archive back to October 2008.   

A symptom of the search for alternatives to oil is the fact that nuclear power is experiencing renewed interest, as shown both by the MIT report, The Future of Nuclear Power and, in the UK, the  creation of the Nuclear Development Forum, which includes presentations and minutes of the meetings of the NDF.  

Energy is such a vital need that it engenders political controversy, vested interests and slanted advocacy.  Although the sources given above are offered in good faith, it's necessary to warn that in this field the principles of critical reading and checking a variety of sources are especially important. 

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