SUSTAINABLE & CLEAN ENERGY | ENERGY EFFICIENCY | LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT | CLIMATE CHANGE | ___________ TECHNOLOGY | POLICY | INVESTMENT

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

IEA: energy efficiency is a key solution to climate change

According to IEA's Energy Technology Perspectives (ETP 2015), which examines innovation in the energy technology sector, energy efficiency can deliver 38 percent of what is needed to keep our planet within the two degree scenario of global warming by 2050. The technologies and solutions to make it happen already exist, and make good business sense.
For example, the building sector accounts for approximately one-third of global energy use and is expected to contribute 45 percent of efficiency-related CO2 emissions savings by 2040, as a result of stricter building codes and the introduction and tightening of energy performance standards for appliances and heating equipment. Industry accounts for almost 40 percent of global energy use and is expected to contribute 21 percent of efficiency-related CO2 emissions savings by 2040. Electric motors account for the majority of the industrial electricity demand, which creates a strong case for optimizing electric motor systems - for instance, through variable-speed drives, which the IEA suggests be made mandatory. 58 percent of the CO2 emission reductions required in the energy sector could be achieved through the development of district heating and cooling systems to capture the surplus heat from power generation, industrial and other processes to heat or cool buildings and supply domestic hot water. Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/