U.S. industry energy-saving potential, 2010–2050

Increased adoption of energy efficient technologies as well as cogeneration and waste heat recovery systems will reduce energy use by an additional 4.7 quadrillion BTUs from business-as-usual. These and other changes (energy changes due fuel switching or transformation in other sectors) can reduce projected primary energy use by 27% in 2050.

 

Primary energy intensity of U.S. manufacturing industries, 2010

Industry has a huge variety of subsectors that differ markedly in energy consumption and intensity (energy used per $ of shipment).

 

U.S. industrial primary energy intensity vs. shipments, 2010

This chart depicts the 2010 primary energy intensities of U.S. industry by subsector versus shipments.

 

Where does the money go

Despite large aggregate expenditures on buildings, average U.S. consumers spend only ~4% of their total budget on fuel and electricity bills. Consumers have little incentive to reduce their energy bills, despite a variety of ways to do so profitably.

 

Horsepower to overcome aerodynamic drag

Each 10% decrease in an auto’s aerodynamic drag can raise its fuel economy by very roughly 3%.

 

Fuel–switching options in industry

With current fuel prices, most coal and oil use can be switched to natural gas for process heating needs.

 

Cost trajectories for CFLS

As the market share of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) has increased, their retail price has decreased more than 75%, thanks to “learning curves.”

 

Projected decline in U.S. industry sector fuel use

Net refining, efficiency and CHP savings can reduce industrial sector primary energy use 27% below the 2050 “business-as-usual” forecast despite 84% higher industrial production.

 

Cumulative volume-based learning curves for battery packs fuel cell systems

The cost of the Revolutionary+ auto decreases over time because we assume that battery electric and fuel cell propulsion costs fit empirically observed learning curves analogous to the history of hundreds of diverse manufactured goods.

 

Heavy truck efficiency supply curve

Better design can save up to 45% of U.S. heavy truck fuel, or 1.7 Mbbl/d in 2050, at a weighted-average cost equivalent to $1.00-per-gallon diesel fuel.

 

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