Thread by @HarishSub

#EnergyEfficiency, the dependable middle child, gets little attention compared to the big brother (renewables) and little sister (clean tech). But it is a bang-for-your-buck solution that is easier to sell to everyone - it saves you money! 1/n

What is energy efficiency? Well, there's conservation (don't use as much! turn off the lights!) and there's efficiency (utility efficiency targets, appliance and vehicle standards, building codes, land use incentives, etc.). 2/n

4 areas of energy use that are targeted: Industry (making stuff), Transportation (moving stuff), Buildings (housing stuff). This is apart from Power Generation, of course - which is more of an outcome. 3/n

Transport (fuel efficiency, decreased passenger & freight miles, new vehicles should be EVs) is often a target for energy efficiency measures. 4/n

As are Buildings (Electrify buildings, insulation and leakage fixes through retrofitting, new construction using efficient standards & materials). 5/n

And these (transport and buildings) are great areas for the developed world. The Energy Efficiency Report has a lot to say here. 6/n energyefficiencyimpact.org

And energy efficiency itself can get the US to 50% reduced GHG emissions by 2050. See: aceee.org/fact-sheet/hal… and donate! 7/n

For the *developing* world, countries like India for example, the levers to pull are different. 8/n

Yes, energy efficiency through ownership and personal choice work. E.g., Rooftop Solar drives people to monitor & optimize energy efficiency. The feedback is immediate. Do X, See the result Y. Optimize. 9/n

But, India is an extremely price-sensitive country, so the cost of appliance is always going to be the primary factor for purchase decisions. Now, if TCO (total cost of ownership) can be displayed, it could drive adoption of appliances with high BEE rating. 10/n

Like in the case of LED bulb adoption. 11/n

BUT the impact will be limited. The real needle-mover in India is *industrial* energy efficiency. 12/n

In India, Energy Efficiency saves ~10-12% of annual energy use. The biggest saving has come from industrial use, rather than buildings and transport. 13/n

In the Efficient World Scenario (EWS), esp. with savings from industry and buildings, the energy expenditure can be reduced by nearly 1 Gigaton (more than emissions of Canada and Australia combined!) 14/n

Prominent energy efficiency standards in India include: (1) PAT for Industrial Energy Efficiency. 15/n beeindia.gov.in/content/pat-3

(2) Super-Efficient Energy Program (SEEP) to drive market transformation. 16/n beeindia.gov.in/content/seep-0

(3) Energy Efficiency Financing Program (EEFP) to finance these energy efficiency projects (and to train the workforce). 17/n iea.org/policies/7468-…

There are also initiatives to drive demand management, just transition into the energy efficiency industry, etc. 18/n

Easily the most palatable of solutions towards meeting our COP26 commitments, we must double down on energy efficiency. n/n

(PS: I'm still learning about this area, but I've been baffled by the lack of attention energy efficiency gets as a solution. I'm open to any and all suggestions on why it can/cannot work and what it will take.)

PPS: Here's the base-case climate scenario according to the EnROADS simulator. en-roads.climateinteractive.org/scenario.html?…

And here's the "energy efficiency & electrification only" scenario built with the #EnROADS simulator from @climateinteract and @MITSloanSusty. en-roads.climateinteractive.org/scenario.html?…

3.6 deg -> 2.8 deg! No carbon tax, status quo on renewables, no precipitous decline in fossil-fuels production. It certainly looks attractive to me.

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