Energy Future in the US to be Determined by Actions in Next Decade
According to a report of the America’s Energy Future project of the National Research Council titled America’s Energy Future: Technology and Transformation, the United States could obtain substantial energy-efficient improvements, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and new sources of energy through the accelerated deployment of emerging and existing energy technologies, with a sustained national commitment. Read more about Energy Efficiency & Demand Response Programs
The initiation of the deployment of these energy technologies is urgent. This is because actions taken or not taken between now and 2020 to demonstrate and develop several key energy technologies will impact significantly the energy options in the United States for many decades to come.
The deployment of existing energy efficient technologies is a low-cost and near-term method for the reduction of the US demand for energy. By fully deploying these technologies in buildings, you may find that enough power is saved which in turn eliminates the need for setting up new electricity generating plants to meet growing demands for energy in the US. Nevertheless, some new energy plants may still be required so as to address regional supply imbalances, present more environmentally friendly sources of electricity, or replace obsolete technology.
The deployment of efficiency technologies in the industrial, building and transportation sectors could reduce projected US energy use by 15% in 2020 and by up to 30% in 2030. It would be possible to save even more in terms of energy costs if more aggressive policies and incentives are applied.
There is a lot of potential for obtaining new sources of electricity in the US over the next 2-3 decades; especially should the carbon capture and storage as well as evolutionary nuclear technologies be deployed on a sufficient scale. However, this report adds that the deployment of these new technologies is likely to lead to the rise of consumer prices for electricity. Furthermore, the national electrical grid will need to be expanded and modernized in order to enhance its security and reliability, as well as accommodate changes in load growth and demand for electricity, and allow the deployment of new energy supply and efficiency technologies, in particular the solar energy and intermittent wind energy.
In the sector of transportation, petroleum will remain an indispensable fuel in the next decades, but it will be challenging to maintain the current rates of production of domestic petroleum which are estimated at 5.1 million barrels per day in 2008. It remains that there are limited options for the replacement or reduction of petroleum use by the year 2020.
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