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 quo[''']based on OECD countries, most of which are developed	Status quo, electrified[''']all vehicles electric instead of fossil fuels ~ Estimated based on the energy footprint of lithium-ion batteries.	Minimal consumption[''']Involves 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)