Most economic theorists assume that energy efficiency—the biggest global provider of energy services—is a limited and dwindling resource whose price- and policy-driven adoption will inevitably deplete its potential and raise its cost. Yet, argues Amory Lovins, empirically, modern energy efficiency is, and shows every sign of durably remaining, an expanding-quantity, declining-cost resource. Its adoption is constrained by major but correctable market failures and increasingly motivated by positive externalities. Most importantly, in both newbuild and retrofit applications, its quantity is severalfold larger and its cost lower than most in the energy and climate communities realize. This analytic gap makes climate-change mitigation look harder and costlier than it really is, diverting attention and investment to inferior options.
Find out more in this video abstract Amory Lovins
Video courtesy CC-BY 3.0, Amory B Lovins How big is the energy efficiency resource? 2018 Environ. Res. Lett. 13 090401 /doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aad965
