Energy efficiency acts fast....

Today's post: Wednesday, 9-16-2009

We need an 80% reduction in fossil fuel use by 2050 to avoid the worst global warming effects. And, practically speaking, we need to also double our electricity generation and double the useful work done per unit of electricity & other energy sources as well during that same time to have a decent economy.

At some point, the oil that we’ve been using to power much of our economy will begin to run low enough that our world economy will shrink due to lack of supply or excessive costs or both.

And, once the demand for oil picks up again with the apparent economic recovery or supply begins to plateau or drop, the prices will again go back up. That will cause more hard times economically unless we have enough alternative sources of energy to turn to.

The bad news is that it’s going far to slow -- both beginning to charge fossil fuels and the businesses that produce them more of their true costs to make them less competitive & slow their use -- and adding the massive amounts of renewable energy, new transmission lines; & some nuclear it will take to use less fossil fuels without harming the economy.

The good news is that energy efficiency can act to help solve this because it acts so much faster.

Two examples are that:

1. It’s been found that a complete energy systems overhaul for many if not most commercial buildings can slash their annual energy use AND to such an extent that the cost savings per year once it’s done will be as great as the initial investment needed to do it.

Adobe in San Jose, California did exactly that. They invested about a million dollars in it for their headquarters building and then found they realized a million dollars a year in savings.

2. The highest peak electric demand in areas that have air conditioners in commercial and residential buildings is on the hottest days each summer.

But as much as 90 % of that electricity demand is removable by better heat proofing of buildings; better insulation; and by running the airconditioning if still needed early in the morning when there is less competing demand and the efficiency of the air conditioning is greatest due to the lower outside temperature.

We almost eliminated the need for air conditioning in a house we once owned by adding more intake vents around the base of our peaked roofs and installing convection powered turbines that enabled the solar heat in our attic to escape. Since that heat no longer came into our house, we had no further need to remove it by using air conditioning to remove it and use electricity to do so.

Now I’ve found a company in San Jose, California, NuLight Solutions, Inc. that makes a solar powered attic fan for the same purpose.

(Since this peak demand occurs when there is robust solar thermal and photovoltaic energy available, the other way to avoid the need for adding fossil fuel plants to provide for it, is to add more solar energy installations that produce peak electricity at the same time as this peak in demand.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have an innovative program to save energy in similar ways that you would like funding or publicity for, check this out soon.

(The deadline to apply for one of them is 9-28-2009, just 12 days from now.)

From the CEN Weekly Intelligence Update for 9-15-2009 see http://www.cleaneconomy.net/

1. Yesterday, the Department of Energy announced a $450 million Retrofit Ramp-Up Program. Funded under the Recovery Act, the program will support innovative models for rolling out energy efficiency technologies to homes and businesses on a large scale. DOE envisions an energy upgrade that will save up to $100 billion annually in household and small business utility bills.

DOE issued a Request for Information, seeking local energy efficiency projects. Applications are due September 28, 2009.

For additional information, see http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=237.

2. On September 14, DOE announced more than $354 million in awards to 22 states to support energy efficiency and conservation activities under the Recovery Act-funded Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. For additional information, see http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=238.