The importance of an efficient energy demand side when talking about renewable energies.

Six years ago, the UK parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The goal is a reduction of at least 80% of carbon emissions by 2050 using 1990 as a baseline. The RSPB (Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds) published a quick explanation of what the 2050 goal entails and how we can achieve it (here).

The UK government wants the process to be as transparent and democratic as possible and has therefore created an online calculator for anyone who wants to understand and participate in this common goal. (It is found at this link).

The calculator is an incredibly complex tool that covers everything from the supply to the demand side with an astonishing amount of details, options and possibilities.  It is also the perfect way to model and predict what role renewable technologies can play in our energy systems.

Here is what two UK strategies that use the most renewable energies look like:

Higher renewables, more energy efficiency pathway:

http://2050-calculator-tool.decc.gov.uk/pathways/e0d3jrg221ci12110222112004423220444404202304440420141/primary_energy_chart#

Friends of the Earth pathway:

http://2050-calculator-tool.decc.gov.uk/pathways/10h4nn4431w23y110244111004424440343304202304430420441/primary_energy_chart#

Both of these pathways have something in common and it is not simply a higher use of

renewable energies, it is a much more effective energy demand side. Indeed, they both largely rely on better and more frequently used public transport, more efficient shipping and much more efficient commercial and domestic insulation, heating and lighting.

                                   Higher renewables, more energy efficiency pathway.

                                                         Friends of the Earth pathway

Their use of renewable energies are in fact quite moderate as shown in the graphs underneath:

                                     Higher renewables, more energy efficiency pathway.

                                                Friends of the Earth pathway.

It seems that the “greener” pathways that include a lot of renewable energies are always followed by a more efficient energy demand side (the most obvious indicator of this is that the total primary supply graphs both show a decrease). This can be explained by the cost of implementation of very large scale renewable energies and by the aforementioned cost in land mass. For example the cost to implement the Friends of the Earth pathway is estimated at an additional £889 more per person per year from now until 2050.This paper outlines some differences that appear within demand fluctuations in different countries.

I believe that this is the most poignant argument against blindly investing in renewable energies at the moment: our energy systems are still too wasteful and inefficient to rely solely on “green” energies. We would indeed be wasting a much more expensive energy per unit than let’s say nuclear power.