I’ve received some pushback on last week’s One Third of All Energy Used is Now Clean Energy. This appears to be a misunderstanding that’s likely the result of the oceans of propaganda pumped out by fossil fuel interests.

1) Need-to-Know: Yes, one-third of ALL energy we USE is now from renewable sources.

That is an accurate statement.

Some people have asked: How can that be, given that 80% of all energy generated comes from fossil fuels?

Answer: More than 60% of energy generated by fossil fuels is lost as waste heat and can’t be USED. Less than 40% of the energy produced by fossil fuels can actually be USED.

As for renewables, only 10 to 20% of the energy they produce is lost, so more than 80% is actually USED.

This is the difference between primary energy generation and final energy USE.

Put another way: As a proportion of final-energy USE from all energy sources, renewables now account for one-third.

This graph illustrates this nicely. (I’ve discussed this graph previously: 67.3% of All Energy Generated in the U.S. is Wasted.)

Source: U.S. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

2) Need-to-Know: All sources of energy have an impact on our environment.

Renewables have far less impact than fossil fuels based on numerous life-cycle analyses. (Renewables don’t have to dig fuel out of the ground, process the fuel, ship it halfway around the world, and then burn the fuel to produce energy.)

Strictly speaking, while renewables aren’t 100% clean, they are far cleaner sources of energy compared to dirty fossil fuels.

(New study: Air pollution from oil and gas causes 90,000 premature US deaths each year)

3. Need-to-Know: Energy efficiency is extremely important.

We waste significant amounts of energy in various ways.

Electrification with renewable energy sources is far more efficient than burning fossil fuels. If everything were electric, we would need to produce 40% LESS energy in total.

Need-to-Know: Burning fossil fuels is incredibly wasteful, a serious health hazard, and an environmental disaster.

All the more reason to switch to renewables!

Until next time. Be well.

Stephen

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Yes, One Third of ALL Energy USED is from Renewables