<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/when-wind-and-solar-replace-fossil-fuels-we-will-use-less-energy-save-money-and-wont-be-as-sick/>
"How can we possibly power a modern economy with renewables? It’s an oft
repeated question amplified by the fossil fuel industry. But the reality is
that in a world largely powered by wind and solar, where most things are
“electrified”, we won’t need as much energy.
This is not new news, but it’s worth repeating because it is often forgotten. A
new report from Accenture, studying the proposed rapid shift to renewables in
Australia over the next two decades, puts this into perspective.
It notes that despite a near 50 per cent increase in demand as the world shifts
to electric vehicles and electric appliances in the home, total energy
consumption will actually decline, because new technologies are vastly more
efficient.
And, it adds, it’s not just energy we will be saving through the shift to wind,
solar and storage, but money and health outcomes.
The fossil fuel economy is heating our climate, but it is also killing us,
slowly, through pollution, and in our homes, at a cost of at least $4 billion a
year in Australia alone, and likely much more. But we rarely talk about it.
The Accenture report is timely given the headlines about Australia’s renewable
energy targets – at both national and state level – and a rebound in the
fear-mongering that this rapid transition will be too hard, too complex and too
expensive.
Accenture points out that Australia actually has the opportunity build an
energy system that is more resilient and flexible, while empowering people to
be both producers and consumers of energy, and to deliver multiple benefits in
efficiency, costs, and health outcomes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
