The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is underway, and Tata Motors and Ford Motor Company recently announced that they will invest billions of dollars in new electric vehicle manufacturing, as evidenced by this. But most scientists agree that in order to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius — and avoid climate catastrophes — we need to go further, rather than switch to electric vehicles. What is needed is a huge shift from a world dominated by fossil energy to a clean, electrified world in the next two decades.
This actually means that more energy consumption needs to be electrified-whether it is connected to the grid or local generation. Automobiles that use gasoline, homes that use natural gas for heating, and industrial processes that use fossil fuels must switch to electric alternatives, such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, and clean electrification.
Currently, the global economy uses approximately 20% of electricity; everything else is powered by fossil fuels. According to the Energy Transition Commission, in order to avoid rising global temperatures, the future integrated energy system must use 68% of direct electricity. The scenarios of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and other agencies show similar requirements: By 2050, the final energy demand must be converted from 20% of direct electricity to 50-80%. In practice, this means that within two decades, all cars, buildings, and industries must use clean electricity backed by renewable energy instead of burning fossil fuels.
With the massive investment in electric vehicles, the buildings where we live and work and heavy industries also need a similar revolution. Rewiring America is a US-based alliance focused on electrifying everything. It is estimated that 42% of all our carbon emissions come from our families and the vehicles we drive. Energizing them all is a challenge because the energy requirements are complex, including not only billions of cars, but also gas stoves, cooking utensils and other fossil fuel appliances with a service life of 10-30 years.
All of these need to be replaced at the end of the life cycle to achieve our climate goals. Full electrification means that every device that uses fossil fuels must be replaced by modern electric devices after retirement. Fortunately, these modern motors are not only more efficient, but the air is cleaner. The gas stove must be replaced with an induction stove top, and the time for heating water is halved. Stoves and water heaters must be replaced by heat pump technology. The gas dryer should be replaced with an electric dryer. Our circuit breaker boxes need to be upgraded to handle higher electrical loads.
Globally, the carbon dioxide emissions produced by industry account for about 25% of the total global carbon dioxide emissions, but many of its processes can also be electrified. Heating and cooling are the main components of industrial energy demand, and 91% of heating and cooling are provided by fossil fuels. Although electrification is not suitable for high-temperature processes, half of the heating and cooling requirements are below 200°C: these are considered low-temperature processes. This means that the machinery behind these processes can be replaced by cost-effective electrification.
Replacing fossil fuel machines in industrial and built environments will facilitate the transition of the economy to widespread electrification. It will also make the entire energy system more efficient. For example, a heat pump uses only one third of the energy of a natural gas furnace. Clean electricity itself eliminates half to two-thirds of the energy lost as waste heat when using coal or natural gas.
Even if the electrification of industry and buildings develops on a large scale today, it will not provide enough clean electricity. If the medium-sized manufacturing plant is electrified through the existing electrification technology, it will increase the power demand by about 50-100%, that is, more than 3.925 Gwh per year. Supported by the expansion of renewable energy sources (mainly solar and wind energy), the capacity of the power infrastructure needs to triple to meet this demand.
In the European Union, the Union of CEOs from the chemical, cement, transportation, and energy sectors submitted a request to the European Commission to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy in Europe and establish a more interconnected network that allows electricity to flow freely between countries. Support industrial electrification. On a global scale, this will require substantial investment to build new infrastructure and interconnections, and deploy smart technologies. The IEA calls for an annual investment of US$26-820 billion in power grid infrastructure.
Obviously, both the supply side and the demand side of our energy use must be transformed. Although electric vehicles may have an opportunity, the electric revolution must also take over our homes and industries. This can not only solve the problem of climate change, but also create new jobs and keep our air and ocean clean.
This article first appeared at the World Economic Forum. Read the original article here.
Also read: Elon Musk’s Tesla will go to India, but there won’t be any green car revolution here
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