The Layered Grid

Sign in Subscribe

Nicolai Gissur Ingvarsson

Nicolai Gissur Ingvarsson

Spain

I write about subsurface energy, geothermal, drilling, carbon infrastructure, and the industrial systems shaping the energy transition.

After Capture - Six Industrial Pathways for Atmospheric Carbon

After Capture - Six Industrial Pathways for Atmospheric Carbon

Geological Storage - The Baseline of Integrity Direct air capture is often criticized for one simple reason: What do you actually do with the carbon once you capture it? The debate usually divides into two camps. One side argues that captured carbon should be reused — turned into fuels, materials, or

Beyond Electrons: The Missing Infrastructure of Europe’s Energy Transition

Beyond Electrons: The Missing Infrastructure of Europe’s Energy Transition

Europe’s energy transition is usually discussed in terms of technologies. More wind. More solar. More hydrogen. More batteries. But technologies are no longer the real constraint. The real constraint is the infrastructure between them. Pipelines. Ports. CO₂ transport networks. Underground storage. Industrial heat systems. These systems determine whether technologies

The Underground Energy Transition

The Underground Energy Transition

Part 1 — The Drilling Constraint Why Geothermal, CCS, and Hydrogen All Compete for Drilling Capacity When people talk about the energy transition, the focus usually falls on visible technologies. Wind turbines. Solar panels. Battery storage. But a growing part of the energy system will depend on something far less visible.

The Energy Transition Is Moving Underground

The Energy Transition Is Moving Underground

Abstract While surface renewables dominate public discussion, the decarbonization of heat and long-duration energy storage increasingly depends on subsurface infrastructure. This shift positions the North Sea’s engineering ecosystem - built over decades of oil and gas development - as a critical foundation for geothermal energy, carbon storage, and underground

Geothermal May Become the Oil & Gas Industry’s Second Career

Geothermal May Become the Oil & Gas Industry’s Second Career

The North Sea is often described as a declining resource basin. But that perspective ignores the most valuable asset built there over the past fifty years. It isn’t the oil. It’s the capability to engineer the subsurface at extreme depths. From Aberdeen to Stavanger to Hamburg, the North

The Energy Transition Might Be a Drilling Problem

The Energy Transition Might Be a Drilling Problem

Much of the public conversation around the energy transition focuses on speed. Wind farms are being built at record pace. Solar capacity continues to expand across Europe. Transmission networks are being upgraded to carry increasing volumes of renewable electricity. From the surface, the transition appears to be accelerating rapidly. But