Energy Efficiency: The Low-Hanging Fruit of the Clean-Energy Revolution.

From "Not Sky-High"
Newsweek International
By Jeremy Oppenheim, Eric Beinhocker, and Diana Farrell
November 15, 2008

The first step in the clean-energy revolution is to dramatically improve energy efficiency. Through a variety of measures ranging from better building efficiency and low-energy lighting to more fuel-efficient vehicles, we have the potential to cut world energy-demand growth by more than 64 million barrels of oil a day—equivalent to one and a half times current annual U.S. energy consumption.

Best of all, improvements in energy efficiency more than pay for themselves. We estimate that dramatically increasing energy efficiency would require annual investments of $170 billion over the next 13 years. But these investments would generate a return of well over $900 billion annually by 2020 through lower energy costs.

Energy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit of the clean-energy revolution.

To radically increase carbon productivity we not only need to slow growth in energy demand, we also need to cut emissions while keeping economic output up. That means the power sector needs to decarbonize while still producing the megawatts, and the transportation sector needs to cut emissions while still getting us from point A to point B.

Full article here.