A gradual transition, IFP

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Gradual transition

The management of energy resources and the fight against greenhouse gases are global issues.

As a research and training centre, the IFP is working to develop clean transport energies and the materials of tomorrow. Its goal is to enable our societies to experience a smooth energy transition. The IFP’s strategy is based on a long-term vision which is consistent with energy policies adapted at French, European and international level.

Varied energy sources for electricity production

Electricity can be produced from a variety of sources:

coal,
natural gas,
renewable energies,
nuclear,
oil and gas products, which account for 12% of existing installed world capacity for electricity generation.

The range of options is relatively broad. This means different countries can develop solutions which reflect their energy priorities and economic and environmental constraints.

Transport is 97% reliant on oil

The same cannot be said for the transport sector, which accounts for more than half of the world’s oil consumption. 97% of land, sea and air transportation is reliant on oil. There are two main reasons for this:

alternative energy sources (biofuels, NGV (natural gas for vehicles) and, in the longer term, hydrogen) already exist but account for less than 3% of the energy used in the transport sector. For the time being, they could not replace oil on a massive scale ;
the inertia which characterises energy systems.

In the automobile industry, for example, the time that elapses between the emergence of a new technology, its development into a viable solution, and its commercial availability via a new vehicle range, can be measured in years, if not decades. In industrialized countries, it takes an average of 20 years before a new technology is used by all vehicles on the road.

The automobile industry will only be able to replace petrol by another energy source gradually, over several decades. This is particularly true given that economic development in certain countries (such as China and India) will be accompanied by a growing demand for transport, further increasing demand for traditional fuels (gasoline and gas oil).