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The end uses of fossil fuels determine the need for production, much of which occurs on public lands, and, in turn, eventually contributes to the climate crisis. We talk a lot about that production, because it can have devastating impacts on wildlife and fragile ecosystems in addition to negatively impacting thriving outdoor recreation economies and ripping off taxpayers. However, changes in end uses will have huge impacts on the amount of fossil fuel production required to support our society. New research findings could change the renewables and efficiency game and the need for fossil fuel production on public lands.
The country's biggest consumer of electricity is buildings. As a result, buildings have driven a huge amount of past use of fossil fuels—not to mention fuels used for things like gas cooking and heating—and changes to their electricity use could have major impacts on the system. Federal researchers have made progress in using photovoltaic (PV) cells typically utilized for solar power to capture artificial light indoors and convert it to electricity.
This new technology could be used to power wireless smart devices in homes and businesses. An additional benefit is that it could also be used at night. The researchers' next step is testing the effectiveness of PV modules in powering devices in a residential scenario, with intermittent light and mixed sunlight from windows.
Another new study finds that by using electricity and other resources more efficiently and spacing out consumption, buildings could eliminate a need for A THIRD of existing fossil fuel generation that is expected to still be operating in 2030. Such changes could similarly make half of expected new coal and gas plants unnecessary.
Examples of such demand management strategies include using smart thermostats to pre-cool homes in advance of peak hours, or using software to turn off computers and other equipment during non-work hours. Such changes could allow fossil fuel plants to be retired more quickly, while also decreasing the need for new renewables projects, taking development pressure off of landscapes.
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“It was bad enough that I thought my mama wouldn’t make it, and she still has trouble breathing. She never had asthma or COPD, now she’s on inhalers full time.”
