False. Solar power combined with wind power and battery energy storage (SWB) will provide energy that is both cleaner and cheaper than fossil fuels, which will mean more energy per person, not less.
Solar power is now the cheapest form of new power in most of the world. (Watch RethinkX Founder Tony Seba expalin why in our Youtube video). Because energy is an input into virtually all other goods and services, as the cost of energy falls, so does the cost of everything else. Cheaper energy will mean cheaper transport, cheaper food, cheaper water, and so on. A world powered by SWB is therefore one of abundance, not austerity.
Very importantly, energy abundance goes hand-in-hand with social and economic prosperity. History clearly shows that energy austerity is a path to poverty, inequality, and conflict, not prosperity. (Read p5-6 of our 'Rethinking Humanity' report, for a more detailed analysis of abundance vs austerity across human civilizations written by James Airbib, RethinkX co-founder)
Moreover, using less energy will not solve our sustainability challenges, just as extinguishing only some of the flames on a burning building will not save it from destruction. (Watch Director of Research Adam Dorr describe why austerity, will not solve our greatest challenges in our youtube series 'Brighter').
Focusing on the quantity of energy is therefore a red herring. Instead, we must focus on whether our energy is clean or dirty. Energy from SWB is clean, and as long as energy is clean, more is better.
Explore the evidence...
- A SWB future is inevitable. SWB is the cheapest, most efficient source of energy we have at hand, and will create an abundance of energy that we call Super Power as illustrated in the image below. To learn more about the future of SWB read p8 of our Rethinking Energy report
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The 100% SWB system is not the old system, it will create super abundant, near marginal cost energy as well as meeting existing demand. Watch RethinkX founder Tony Seba describe this in more detail in our Youtube Series 'The Great Transformation'
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The superabundance of near-zero marginal cost electricity, that we call 'Super Power' resulting from clean energy super power will have an incredibly transformative impact our societies. The applications of superabundant near-zero marginal cost energy will enable the emergence of radically new business models across a wide array of industries. The shift from high marginal cost to near-zero marginal cost energy will parallel what we have already witnessed with the shift from expensive to nearly costless information, with equally profound implications for affected industries, the economy, and society at large. We are heading for abundance, not austerity! Read more about Clean Energy Super Power under points 6) and 7) on p52-53 of our Rethinking Energy Report
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Conventional clean energy scenarios make the common error of misunderstanding that disruptive new technologies tend to disproportionately replace the old system with a new system that has dramatically different architecture, boundaries, and capabilities. History also shows that in most instances the new system is much larger than the old one it displaces, and the SWB disruption of the energy sector will be no exception. Read p20-22 of our Rethinking Energy Report for a deep dive into the nature and potential of Clean Energy Super Power.
Witness the transformation
A new, clean energy system run by 100% SWB is inevitable, and will produce a superabundant surplus of clean energy at near-zero marginal cost that we call 'Super Power'. There will be no need for austerity, when there is abundance!
Learn more about the disruption and transformation of the energy sector here
Published on: 12/07/23
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