Future Energy

Picturing Energy Use - Who Knew it Could be So Simple

I've always liked a good diagram to help me understand something complex, and, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  That's particularly true of the diagrams of U.S. and Canadian energy consumption I found on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory website.

The first diagram shows estimated U.S. energy use in 2009.

The second diagram shows U.S. carbon emissions for 2008.  as you would expect the dominant roles of coal for electricity generation and petroleum transportation fuels in the U.S. carbon budget is readily apparent.

 

The third diagram looks at estimated future U.S. energy use by 2050.  The big changes that are apparent relate to the expected growth of renewable sources of electricity, the role of hydrogen as an energy intermediary and the dramatic drop in use of oil (looks like LLNL is a believer in peak oil).

The fourth diagram looks at U.S. energy losses, the biggest single proportion of which is electricity generation, transmission and distribution losses.   Notably, more than 55% of current energy consumption in the U.S. is wasted (and I would assume that a similar proportion is wasted in Canada).

LLNL hasn't limited itself to looking only at U.S. energy consumption patterns either.  Below are two more diagrams which look at 2007 energy use in Canada and 2006 carbon emissions in Canada.

The biggest difference in energy use patterns when comparing to the U.S. is the truncated lines indicating energy exports - mostly to the U.S.

Comparing carbon emission patterns with those in the U.S. highlights the much smaller role of coal in Canada.

Enjoy.

Giving Energy Efficieny the Respect it Deserves

Source: McKinsey & Co.

"Energy efficiency is almost a no brainer in policy terms." 

(Jack Mintz, writing in the Globe and Mail May 27th.)

Jack may get the quote, but McKinsey and Co. have to get the credit for demonstrating why this is so.  McKinsey released its first cost curve in 2007, demonstrating why energy efficiency was both the most important option for curbing the growth of global emissions and the most cost effective.  The curve was based on research the firm had conducted in concert with many of its clients.

Since 2007, McKinsey has continued to refine and extend this work, culminating in the revised cost curve released earlier this year.  Along the way they have managed to construct a whole portfolio of sector and country specific curves and spawned a consulting tool that is widely used as a starting point for those who would advise individual companies on how to approach the as yet undefined beast that is climate change.

Essentially, McKinsey points out that when considered in concert with all of the available options for reducing greenhouse gases, energy efficiency for residential and comercial buildings, road transport and industrial processes is the most cost effective option available, often providing a positive payback.  And the emissions reduction benefits of improved energy productivity aren't small.  Out of 38 Giga tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (GtCO_2e) emission reductions estimated to be available with existing or likely to be realized technologies, 14 GtCO_2e would come as a result of energy efficiency investments.

Or put another way ....

"If all energy efficiency opportunities identified in our research were captured, annual growth in global electricity demand between 2005 and 2030 would be reduced from 2.7 percent per year in the BAU case to about 1.5 percent."

   Source: McKinsey, 2009

My goal here isn't to sing McKinsey's praises.  They're far more able to do so then I'll ever be.  No, I want to properly introduce a series of posts, articles and materials that I am increasingly coming across and will intermittantly link to here, all highlighting specific energy efficiency investments and achievements.

I'll start with a post on PG&E's Next 100 blog.  Writing June 2nd, Jonathan Marshall talks about PG&E's deployment of Smart Meters:

"One big improvement, in addition to giving customers timely and detailed information on their energy use, will be expanded availability of voluntary pricing programs that can save them money and help the environment. Such pricing programs reward customers for cutting back on energy use a few hours each year during periods of "critical peak" demand, typically on scalding days when air conditioners are running flat out."

Allowing consumers to understand and manage their energy demand is certainly a first step towards improved residential energy efficiency.

More to come.