This is the “primary energy fallacy”

The world’s current energy system is incredibly INefficient. More than two thirds of today’s global primary energy input is lost after conversion.

Most of this is waste heat from fossil-fuelled power stations and transport. Burning stuff. Funnily enough, this is also what produces CO2 emissions.

Critics of the energy transition like to point to charts of global primary energy demand and laugh at the current contribution from renewable energy, saying it shows that the transition is going to be impossible.

But this is the “primary energy fallacy” and it’s misleading. The decarbonisation challenge is a lot smaller than primary energy would suggest.

The future energy system will be vastly different and will deliver the same energy services, and more, using far less primary energy. This will be based on:

✅ Electrification and energy efficiency
✅ Demand side flexibility
✅ Reusing unavoidable waste heat

And of course a switch to renewables like wind and solar that generate electricity without the need to burn stuff.

Keep this in mind next time someone tries to tell you the transition isn’t going to happen.