Speed & Scale TED Climate: How much clean electricity do we really need? | Solomon Goldstein-Rose
7 snips
Nov 10, 2021 AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
We Need Far More Clean Electricity
- The world must increase clean electricity production about 12x today's levels to avoid worst climate impacts by 2050.
- Solomon Goldstein‑Rose argues replacing fossil plants isn't enough; we must build a vastly larger clean system.
Discovering The Petawatt‑Hour Scale
- Solomon Goldstein‑Rose recounts learning about the petawatt‑hour while writing a book on climate solutions.
- He notes the world currently generates about 25 trillion kilowatt‑hours per year, mostly from fossil fuels.
Electrification Increases Electricity Demand
- Electrifying transport, heating and industry raises electricity needs even if overall energy falls due to efficiency gains.
- Electrifying 60% could push total generation need to roughly 40 petawatt‑hours by 2050.