Overbuilding Renewables Is On Short List Of Climate Actions That Will Work
We’ve ‘overbuilt’ every other form of generation and will do the same with wind and solar
In the short list of climate actions that will work, why is overbuilding renewables positioned so highly? Why not build exactly the right amount, or build a lot of nuclear to keep the lights on, or wire everybody’s home to turn the heat off when there isn’t enough electricity?
The first reason is the same reason as why electrify everything is top of the list, because renewables don’t waste nearly as much energy. Most economies throw away about two-thirds of the primary energy that enters the economy in the form of coal, oil, gas, nuclear generation and renewables. Almost all of that is waste heat from burning the coal, oil and gas for transportation and electrical generation, about 80% and 60% respectively.
And while the energy in coal, oil and gas turns into heat on about a one-for-one basis when we just need heat, heat pumps turn electricity into three times as much heat, so it makes more sense to use them instead.
What does that have to do with renewable electricity?
Wasted energy applies to fuels we have to work for, not energy that we get for free. Every ton of…
