61. 'The History & Future Of Energy As An Economic Driving Force' with Carey King Of UT Austin

Modern history really got kicked into full gear with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, which can be boiled down to the way that society was able to transform and rapidly evolve once we were able to extract work efficiently and effectively from various energy sources. From coal-powered factories to steamboats to the eventual rise of electricity, the availability of energy allowed humanity to prosper and grow in ways it was never previously able to do. In many ways, the tight correlation between access to energy and economic development has continued to be coupled in lockstep in the centuries since, and the future of the global economy still relies directly on the future energy systems that we’re building today and tomorrow. This fascinating topic holds immense impact to the future of utilities and society at large, so podcast host Jason Price and producer Matt Chester felt it a bountiful topic to explore. But like much of the Energy Central Community, they are energy wonks rather than economics experts, so the best way to do this was indeed to bring into the podcast booth one of the foremost researchers on this intersection of energy and the economy. Carey King is a research scientist and Assistant Director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, and last Fall he also published the groundbreaking book on this very topic: “The Economic Superorganism: Beyond the Competing Narratives on Energy, Growth, and Policy.” Through his time as a researcher and in digging deeper into the topic for this book, Carey has unearthed some of the important lessons that can be learned as energy unlocked new economic development in the 1700s and what that means for relevant energy strategy and public policy in the decades in front of us. Key Links: Carey King’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/carey-king-1 Full Energy Central Post with Podcast transcript: https://energycentral.com/o/energy-central/episode-61-%E2%80%98-history-future-energy-economic-driving-force-author-carey-king Link to register as a member of the Energy Central Community: www.energycentral.com/user/register Did you know? The Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast has been identified as one of the industry's 'Top 25 Energy Podcasts': blog.feedspot.com/energy_podcasts/