Michiel Bron

Journal of Energy History 2024/1 (No 12) Black and Green? Environmental Histories of the Oil Industry

the intro & most articles for the J Energy History special issue that @moneschleper.bsky.social @odinnmelsted.bsky.social & I edited have been out for ages, but I've delaying skeeting a summary of the whole issue until all the articles were up. which they now are! 1/x

stm.cairn.info/journal-of-e...

@wiley.com

Managing Scarcity A blog about the history of the oil industry, alternative energy, and environmentalism associated with the Dutch Research Council-funded project of the same name.

The research was conducted within the Managing Scarcity Project (NWO VI.C.191.067) at @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social managingscarcity.com

This article is part of a special issue organized as a result from the Early Career Conference for Historians of Science by the @aip.bsky.social

This article locates the origins of this interconnectedness in the emergence of applied geophysics and argues that the depleted oil sources at Pechelbronn and Celle formed the basis of both industrial and academic developments in the knowledge of radioactivity, geophysics, and petroleum.

Understanding this history proved to be the key for two businesses that would shape the later twentieth century: the oil and nuclear industries. Oil companies are among the very first to integrate new quantum mechanics and knowledge about radioactive decay into their search for oil.

The formation of uranium and oil deposits, and their eventual extraction, is a story circling through early planetary history, continuing in depleted oil wells in Germany, Canada, and France, and lingering well into the second half of the past century.

Transition in Residues: On Depleted Oil Wells, Radioactive Geophysics, and the Origins of the Twentieth Century's Energy Mix The oil and uranium industries always have been intertwined. Both industries are inherently global and span an extensive geological history. The formation of uranium and oil deposits, and their event...

The oil and uranium industries always have been intertwined.

Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte published my new article on the shared history of uranium and oil geophysics in German, French and Canadian seemingly depleted boreholes. You can read the article (Open Access) here:

Managing Scarcity A blog about the history of the oil industry, alternative energy, and environmentalism associated with the Dutch Research Council-funded project of the same name.

This is a product of the Managing Scarcity Project (NWO VI.C.191.067) at @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social see the link for more information on the project: managingscarcity.com

The article is based on case studies to oil actors shaping the development of the Dutch nuclear industry during the 1950s to 1970s and the role of engineers developing an early solar industry in the US funded by oil money.

In this paper, we argue using cohort theory helps us better understand the agency the multi-facetted careers of (oil) actors, often leading them through the revolving door between the political landscape, the existing oil regime, and the new technological niches of solar and nuclear energy.

The cohort effect in solar energy and nuclear power: unveiling collective agency in energy transitions How does the collective agency of multiple individual actors shape energy transitions? This paper engages with the many, varying careers of petroleum …

How does the collective agency of multiple individual actors shape energy transitions? Jelena Stankovic and I explore the use of Cohort Theory within the framework of an energy transition. The article is out now (Open Access) in the journal Energy Research & Social Science

Why is the #fossil fuel industry focusing on the development of #alternative energy? As the impact of #climate change becomes more visible, @michielbron.bsky.social reflects on lessons from the past and how we can guide the industry toward a more #sustainable future🌱

🎥👇

Greedy Science This is a placeholder description.

many thanks to @patrickmccray.bsky.social & Michael Gordin for editing, & @mxmcadam.bsky.social @ JHUP for publishing Greedy Science, an edited volume on science in the go-go '80s 1/x

www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...

Attached an example about my research at @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social

The researchers at @maastrichtu.bsky.social conduct important research on themes such as sustainability, quality of life, education and innovation, and Europe and globalization. In a new video series, some of our researchers talk about their diverse work www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/nl/onderzoek...

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if you know of any promising undergraduates interested in getting a master's degree in an STS-related field, please point them toward the ESST (1-year) and CAST (2-year) programs. outstanding instructors, curriculum, fellow students & training for a PhD or many other careers.

Vacatures - De Windvogel Bekijk onze vacatures! Nu staan er vacatures voor bouwer energiegemeenschappen (betaald) en voor de rol van voorzitter van onze vereniging.

Collega's gezocht! @dewindvogel.bsky.social groeit hard en is opzoek naar vier nieuwe teamleden. De functies variëren van voorzitter tot directeur of projectmedewerker. Wil jij een bijdrage leveren aan een coöperatieve en duurzame energietransitie, solliciteer dan snel: windvogel.nl/vacatures/

ALV stemt in met voorstel voor nieuwe bestuursstructuur - De Windvogel Een extra ALV heeft ingestemd met een nieuwe bestuursstructuur van coöperatie De Windvogel.

Afgelopen week hielden we een extra ALV, om onze bestuursstructuur aan te passen. Zo kunnen we beter toezicht houden op al onze projecten en kunnen we beter contact houden met al onze leden. Lees het hele verslag terug op onze site!
windvogel.nl/alv-stemt-in...

WAEH Call for Papers Workshop on Alternative Energy Histories (WAEH): Scenarios and Transitions Organizers: Michiel Bron, Odinn Melsted, Cyrus Mody (Maastricht University) Venue: Maastricht University D…

We're putting on a conference! "We" being me, @odinnmelsted.bsky.social & @michielbron.bsky.social as part of the Managing Scarcity project.

Workshop on Alternative Energy Histories
Dates: October 20-21, 2025
Location: Maastricht University
Abstracts due: April 4, 2025

managingscarcity.com/waeh/

Journal of Energy History 2024/1 (No 12) Black and Green? Environmental Histories of the Oil Industry

Very happy to see this #specialissue on #oilhist and #envhist out in the world: stm.cairn.info/journal-of-e....
With great articles by @renaudbecot.bsky.social, Reynaldo de los Reyes Patiño, @mattinbiglari.bsky.social, Randal L. Hall, Jelena Stanković, @michielbron.bsky.social, and Robert Lifset.

It was a great pleasure having you and Jelena as my paranimphs!

Managing Scarcity A blog about the history of the oil industry, alternative energy, and environmentalism associated with the Dutch Research Council-funded project of the same name.

The research for this dissertation, which was supervised by @ccmmody.bsky.social and @vincentlagendijk.bsky.social was part of the project “Managing Scarcity and Sustainability” together with Jelena Stankovic and @odinnmelsted.bsky.social. The project is funded by NWO: managingscarcity.com

The Petro-atom: A century of ubiquitous oil involvement in nuclear energy, 1895-1993

The digital publication of the thesis can be found here: cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/en/publicati...

Maastricht University PhD Defenses This channel streams and hosts all PhD defences of Maastricht University.

You can join the PhD defence at Minderbroedersberg 4-6 or online via:
www.youtube.com/@UMphddefense

This thesis shows how nuclear energy and oil are inseparably linked throughout the twentieth century. Energy transitions - such as the addition of nuclear energy - can only be understood from a combined perspective of multiple energy sources and the companies that exploit these energy sources

Tomorrow, I will defend my PhD dissertation "The Petro-Atom: A century of ubiquitous oil involvement in nuclear energy, 1895-1993" at Maastricht University (16.00 CET) @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social

History and Technology Oil Spillovers. Guest Editor: Cyrus Mody. Volume 40, Issue 3 of History and Technology

for those who would like to take their minds off of ... other things today, here's a thread on the oil spillovers special issue that I guest-edited at History+Technology:

www.tandfonline.com/toc/ghat20/4...

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Mine and Maria Rentetzi’s new article „Radium Boxes“ on the early history of the transport of radioactive materials has just been published in the Medical Research Archives journal! This one was very fun to write and I am really happy with how it turned out! #histtech #histsci #histstm #nukesky