The people who actually know anything about how this society might end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels and still have energy for living are chanting "Electrify Everything" these days.
Here's David Roberts reporting on the proposals of MacArthur genius Saul Griffith at Vox last summer:
The fastest way to decarbonize is to electrify everything
Griffith begins with a core assumption: We need to make a plan to solve the problem with the tools available. It is unwise, for instance, to bet on a large amount of carbon capture and sequestration coming online in time to make a difference. The technologies are still in the early stage and there are strong arguments they will never pencil out.
Griffith takes a “yes, and” approach. If carbon capture sequestration works out, great. If next-gen nuclear reactors work out, great. If hydrogen-based fuels work out, great. But we shouldn’t rely on any of them until they are real. We need to figure out how to do the job with the technology available.
On that score, Griffith’s modeling reaches two key conclusions.
First, it is still possible to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions in line with a 1.5°C pathway. Specifically, it is possible to reduce US emissions 70 percent to 80 percent by 2035 (and to zero by 2050) through rapid electrification, relying on five already well-developed technologies: wind and solar power plants, rooftop solar, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and batteries.
Think of those technologies as the infrastructure of 21st century life. If everyone uses carbon-free energy to heat their homes and get around, the bulk of the problem will be solved.
Second, to decarbonize in time, substitution of clean-energy technologies for their fossil-fuel counterparts must ramp up to 100 percent as fast as possible, after a brief period of industrial mobilization. Every time a gas or diesel car is replaced, it must be replaced with an EV; every time an oil or gas furnace is replaced, it must be replaced with a heat pump; every time a coal or gas power plant goes offline, it must be replaced with renewable energy....
Roberts is always worth reading. These days his sophisticated understanding of climate possibilities can be found at Volts.
With these thoughts rumbling about at the back of my mind, it was fascinating to encounter a small corner of San Francisco that was built on these principles -- 70 years ago. At the top of Diamond Heights, there are several streets where in front of each building, embedded in the sidewalk, there is one of these markers.
The Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation in Olympia, WA explains:
... General Electric provided the main support for the program, which launched in March of 1956.
At the time, utility companies were rushing to meet the increased demand for electricity in postwar America. However, as more power plants came on line the cost of electricity decreased. To increase company profits, homeowners were encouraged to consume more power through the purchase of a variety of electric products. For GE and Westinghouse, the creation of a new market for electric heat also promised to increase company profits. Additionally, the two corporations not only sold residential electric heating units and a variety of household appliances, but they also sold electrical generating equipment to utility companies nationwide.
Supported nationwide by 900+ electric utilities and 180 electricity manufacturers, the electricity industry launched the Live Better Electrically campaign through a variety of media outlets. The initial launch came with the offer to send a free 70+ page brochure to homeowners which told them how their lives could be enriched by the use of electricity and purchase of electric appliances.
In the "Mad Men" era, the push to get people to prefer electricity naturally required branding. Hence the Medallion Home markers and such ads as these from Better Homes and Gardens magazine in 1958.
The Biden administration seems serious about climate.
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