Energy Surprises for the 21st Century

This article provides an overview of some of the issues and innovations that are likely to alter the global energy sector in the early 21st century. From superefficient energy use to the emergence of hydrogen as a viable energy carrier, from climate concerns to security dilemmas, the relationships between these important concepts and the energy industries are as intricate as they are full of potential to promote growth, profits and opportunity. The energy topics that will be at the forefront of national energy debate in the 21st century are energy efficiency, electricity restructuring, whole-system design for efficiency, breaking barriers, distributed utilities, Hypercars, business-oriented solutions to climate issues, the hydrogen economy, energy security, and natural capitalism.

Negawatts for Fabs: Advanced Energy Productivity for Fun and Profit

In this presentation, Amory Lovins presents data showing that chip fabrication plants can be significantly more energy efficient. Lovins shows that the typical design process for chip fabs is inefficient and results in lost revenue for chip companies. Using a whole-systems design approach, chip fabs can be designed to yield significant operational benefits and reverse energy losses. Changes to HVAC systems and motors yield significant energy savings and can result in cost savings of several percentage points. Lovins provides strategies for management to make these changes.

Negawatts: Twelve Transitions, Eight Improvements, and One Distraction

This article from 1996 describes the transitions required for the more efficient use of electricity. In the article, Amory Lovins argues that twelve fundamental transitions are necessary to move to the more efficient use of electricity. The transitions are: from the theoretical to the real world; from supply extrapolation to end-use-least-cost; from residential to all sectors; from load management to efficiency; from claimed to measured savings; from punishing efficiency to rewarding efficiency; from fragmentation to integration; from equipment to applications (and then equipment); from engineered delivery to market-making; from promoting hardware to correcting market failures; from engineering and economics to anthropology; and from marginal economics to qualitative superiority. Once these transitions are accomplished, the resulting economically efficient use of electricity will reduce the quantity of electricity needed to provide present services with unchanged or improved quality.

Comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

In 1995, Amory Lovins wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission commenting on the proposed rulemaking on open access transmission. His primary concern in the proposed rule was the treatment of demand-side options (end-use efficiency and load management) and the potential for new dispersed generators whose total cost undercuts the short-run marginal wholesale power cost. Lovins urges the Commission to seek symmetry between supply and demand side resources in valuing grid decongestion. He also argues that the wholesale market is not sufficiently compatible with the distributed utility.

The Super-Efficient Passive Building Frontier

This article suggests that integrated whole-building design can yield superior comfort with about three to thirty times less mechanical energy and often with lower capital costs, but that achieving this poses fundamental challenges to professional education and practice and to compensation structure. The article provides a case study of the superefficient Pacific Gas and Electric home in Davis, California. This case study illustrates that if we properly count multiple benefits and take credit for those that are real and measurable in rigorous engineering-economic terms, we will very often find that the way to make a building inexpensive to construct is to make the windows expensive.

This article was published in ASHRAE Journal, June 1995. Copyright 1995 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. Reprinted by permission at www.rmi.org. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or in paper form without permission of ASHRAE.

What an Energy-Efficient Computer Can Do

This paper from 1993 describes the economic benefits of purchasing an energy efficient computer. Although the technical specifications from this paper are outdated, the concepts of energy efficient appliances remain the same. Amory Lovins argues that when you buy an energy efficient desktop computer, you’re getting more benefits than just a lower electric bill and some of those benefits may be even more important to your business. There are additional significant economic and energy savings to the building in which the computer is housed.

Least-Cost Climatic Stabilization

This paper argues that global warming is not a natural result of normal, optimal economic activity. Rather, it is an artifact of the economically inefficient use of resources, especially energy. Amory Lovins describes advanced technologies for resource efficiency, and proven ways to implement them. These changes can support present or greatly expanded worldwide economic activity while stabilizing global climate and saving money.

If It's Not Efficient, It's Not Beautiful

In this brief 1991 article in Fine Homebuilding, Amory Lovins argues that beautiful homes are not only finely crafted and designed, but energy efficient as well. Lovins describes the efficiency measures used to design his own home in Snowmass, CO. These techniques include glazed mirrors, compact fluorescent lights, and superefficient appliances. All of the energy savings in the home are the equivalent of saving a barrel of oil per day. Lovins challenges home builders to consider energy efficiency and cost savings when designing and building homes.

Four Revolutions in Electric Efficiency

In this paper from 1990, Amory Lovins discuses four changes impacting electricity demand. He argues that demand for electricity is altered profoundly by new technologies for improved end-use efficiency, new ways to finance and deliver those technologies to customers, cultural change within utilities, and regulatory reforms to reward efficient behavior. The technological improvements can come in the form of lighting and commercial, residential, and industrial retrofits. The second revolution, financing and delivering technologies to customers, can be implemented with negawatts or electricity savings. The third revolution is a cultural change within utilities that would let them provide the best service to the customer by focusing on marginal (not sunk) costs. The fourth revolution, a change in regulatory philosophy and practice, would decouple utilities’ profits from their sales as well as allow utilities to keep some proceeds when they incentivize customers to save energy.

Negawatt Revolution

This paper from 1990 describes electricity and cost savings potential. The examples given show how technology from the time could be harnessed to save three fourths of electricity in use by companies. In the examples provided, savings can be found from lighting improvements, such as switching from incandescent lamps to compact fluorescent lamps. Even in 1990, companies found impressive economic savings by choosing efficient energy plans. Lovins also argues that the best energy policy for the nation, for business, and for the environment is one that focuses on using electricity efficiently.