The shift from primary energy to useful energy is the fundamental game-changer of the energy transition. Rather than fixating on replacing total primary energy inputs, which are currently inflated by massive fossil-fuel waste heat, the core of the transition is to generate clean, highly efficient useful energy — which ultimately reduces to motion and heat.
Understanding this shift reveals several key details:
- The Primary Energy Fallacy: Conventional energy statistics often mask the true progress of renewables by inflating the denominator with the massive inefficiency of fossil fuels. In thermal power plants, industries, buildings, transportation… at least two-thirds of the raw energy is rejected as waste heat before it ever reaches the end-user.
- The Physics of Useful Energy: Every energy service ultimately performs just one of two physical functions: work (motion including electrons) or heat (temperature regulation). Useful energy is the exact energy that performs these desired functions (e.g., turning a motor or boiling water).
- The Power of Electrification: The shift to electric solutions is vastly more efficient at the point of conversion. For example, when delivering motion (useful work), final electricity converts to useful energy at roughly 68% efficiency, compared to internal combustion engines which operate at only around 29% efficiency.
- The Shift in Perspective: By focusing on carbon reduction and electrification of final energy demand, society can effectively slash total global primary energy requirements by over half while actually increasing the amount of useful work and heat delivered.
“The Laws of Thermodynamics are the Precise Scientific & Engineering Metrics by which All Uses of Energy are Qualified & Quantified including Economics”