Energy demand: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:48, 20 May 2023

This page is an attempt to estimate how much energy it takes to sustain a reasonable quality of life in a developed country.

Tables

Energy units: W (watts per capita, averaged over time. This is not the same as peak watts). (example)Suppose an electric car charger operates at 4800 watts, but the car is only charging for 2 hours per day on average. So the wattage averaged over time is 400 watts. Also note: If a family of 2 people owns 1 of these cars, then that's 200 watts per capita.

Non-electric energy usage (fuel) is still measured in watts, this same way, for the sake of comparison.

	Status quobased on OECD countries, most of which are developed	Status quo, electrifiedall vehicles electric instead of fossil fuels ~ Estimated based on the energy footprint of lithium-ion batteries.	Minimal consumptionInvolves major personal & social changes: ~ Public transit and walkability ~ Frugalism ~ Abolishing planned obsolescence and code bloat
Residential - heating varies with the weather and local climate
Residential - hot water
Residential - cooling varies with the weather and local climate
Residential - other Entirely electricity. Includes anything not used for heating & cooling.
Commercial This is not split into heating/cooling/misc (unlike for residential) due to lack of more detailed data.
Industrial Almost all of this is manufacturing. Other industrial processes include agriculture & mining (surprisingly minor in terms of energy use).

Note on reducing environmental impacts

When it comes to climate change: Energy usage is the main culprit.
- Home electricity is just a small part of this. The best thing people can do is drive less and buy less.
  - Note: This is targeted at the average person who lives in a developed country. If you are poor, you probably don't need to consume less.
When it comes to habitat loss: Land usage is the main culprit.
- The best thing people can do is eat more plant-based and waste less food.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-It's good to get a general sense of the world's energy demand, to figure out how it could be met without [[fossil fuels]].
+This page is an attempt to estimate how much [[energy]] it takes to sustain a reasonable quality of life in a developed country.
-==Status quo==
+==Tables==
-[[File:energy-demand-status-quo.png]]
-note: {{x|disregard the last section "non-energy use of fuels" as this page is only focused on phasing out ''the burning'' of fossil fuels for ''energy''; not on phasing out [[packaging|other uses]] of fossil fuels}}
+[[Energy units]]: '''W''' (watts per capita, ''averaged over time''. This is not the same as ''peak'' watts).
+{{p2|(example)|Suppose an [[electric car]] charger operates at 4800 watts, but the car is only charging for 2 hours per day on average. So the wattage ''averaged over time'' is 400 watts. Also note: If a family of 2 people owns 1 of these cars, then that's 200 ''watts per capita''.}}
+* {{light|Non-electric energy usage (fuel) is still measured in watts, this same way, for the sake of comparison.}}
-==With electric vehicles==
+{|class="wikitable"
-[[EVs]] are more energy-efficient but take more energy to manufacture. In an all-electric world, a quick estimate might be to subtract half of the all transport-related energy, and add 20% to the 'industrial' section.
+|
+|Status quo{{p|based on OECD countries, most of which are ''developed''}}
+|Status quo, electrified{{p|all vehicles electric instead of fossil fuels<br /><br />~ Estimated based on the energy footprint of [[lithium-ion batteries]].}}
+|Minimal consumption{{p|Involves major personal & social changes:<br /><br />~ [[Public transit]] and [[walkability]]<br /><br >~ [[Frugalism]]<br /><br />~ Abolishing [[planned obsolescence]] and [[code bloat]]}}
+|-
+|Residential - [[heating]] {{p|varies with the weather and local climate}}
+|-
+|Residential - [[hot water]]
+|-
+|Residential - [[cooling]] {{p|varies with the weather and local climate}}
+|-
+|Residential - other {{p|Entirely electricity. Includes anything not used for heating & cooling.}}
+|-
+|Commercial {{p|This is not split into heating/cooling/misc (unlike for residential) due to lack of more detailed data.}}
+|-
+|Industrial {{p|Almost all of this is ''manufacturing''. Other industrial processes include agriculture & mining (surprisingly minor in terms of energy use).}} <!-- TODO: split up industrial into "manufacturing" and "other industry"; gotta find a good way to work this into existing page structure -->
+|}
+===Note on reducing environmental impacts=== <!-- TALK: maybe move this somewhere else? -->
+* When it comes to [[climate change]]: '''[[Energy]]''' usage is the main culprit.
+** {{light|Home electricity is just a small part of this.}} The best thing people can do is '''drive less and buy less'''.
+*** {{minor|Note: This is targeted at the average person who lives in a developed country. If you are poor, you probably ''don't'' need to consume less.}}&nbsp; <!-- TODO: move the 'minimal consumption' popup content here -->
+* When it comes to [[habitat loss]]: '''[[Land]]''' usage is the main culprit.
+** The best thing people can do is eat more [[plant-based]] and [[food waste|waste less food]].
 ==See also==
-* [[Energy demand scenarios]]
+* [[Energy demand scenarios]] (an older analysis)