WEMO24-Compiled Report-Interactive compressed (002) 4154-7882-8116 v.1 - Flipbook - Page 86
Primary energy demand
is an outdated concept
A good estimation of the how much energy we would use if
everything was electricity is the Lawrence Livermore work in
the USA. If we take the USA as a proxy for advanced
economies, this analysis shows 67% rejected or wasted
energy (see Figure 4 – this is shown in the Sankey diagram).
This analysis also shows that if most services were electric
and more efficient, then the USA would only need 33% of
the energy it currently uses to satisfy the the existing energy
services demand. However, we need to add back in the losses
in the electric world, such as transmission and distribution
losses.
range is 40-50%, depending on the take up of the new
electrified energy services (e.g. the adoption of heat pumps
and the electrification of industrial heat).
If we continue to use primary energy demand, we will over
inflate the energy that the world requires, as we electrify our
energy services and confuse government policy.
Therefore, the decarbonization challenge is a lot smaller than
primary energy demand would suggest. The concept of
primary energy demand is outdated and should shift towards
a focus on energy services, emphasizing the amount of clean
energy required to fulfill future needs.
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Our Convictions
•
Primary energy demand was a useful concept in
previous energy crises.
•
Today, with the energy transition well underway,
it is an outdated concept.
•
Retaining it confuses the progress that is
being made to a low-carbon future and the
electri昀椀cation of energy services.
•
It would be much better to to talk about the kWh
required to deliver the energy services that the
world demands.
WEMO 2024
Saul Griffiths has done some detailed work on all the energy
services in the USA and estimates that if services were
significantly electrified, the USA would need 42% of the
primary energy demand today. Capgemini estimates that the
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