Pulling out all the stops for the clean Energy Transition

Design like it matters

Electrification of everything seems a step in the right direction, especially when efficiency and energy management measures are part of that transition. When practical — meaning, financially on par or advantageous compared to subsidized fossil or nuclear — the benefits can include furthering the already “unstoppable” (says WSJ) clean energy transition, but we need to pay attention to the data.

“In 2024, over 80% of new electricity generation globally came from clean energy—solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear. Fossil fuels? Barely moved the needle,” wrote Tom Steyer on 2 June 2025.

The 20% worries me, but that there is now momentum is undeniable. Electricity demand doubled the average growth rate of the past decade – “but clean energy met the moment,” he wrote. “While fossil fuel grew slightly, oil’s share of global energy hit a record low, thanks in part to global EV sales jumping 26%.” Electrification of transportation is part of the answer, and so is efficiency.

Though not always worth the effort, efficiency always pays, so be sure not to miss the opportunity to retrofit and use more modern systems and equipment. Nobody seems to complain about efficiency except President Trump, despite the expressed desire for increasing governmental efficiency, which of course we need.

It isn’t about “efficiency” per se, but whether a feather or a bazooka — it is about how we do it. If decreasing the lighting quality or total illumination doesn’t allow for optimal productivity, that would be an example of doing it wrong. Lighting retrofits, for example, sometimes including energy management and new fixtures (not just bulbs) can be an opportunity to improve both of these key results while saving substantial energy.

Decreasing water use that results in insufficient flow or pressure for the tasks at hand isn’t an efficiency move, it is a mistake.

Energy Star appliances, for example, outperform their less efficient forerunners mostly because they have to work less hard to achieve the same results — whether cooling or heating, refrigeration, scrubbing/cleaning, drying, etc. Less noise and residual heat is better for everyone, as waste heat is itself, even in cold climates, is a relatively inefficient source of thermal energy.

Capturing and using process heat is better than not doing it, but excessive amounts of residual heat — such as produced by data centers or “old school” generators, thermal transfer systems (like district heat) reflect fundamental design flaws.

This goal of greater efficiency to save money is prima facie to the real goals of reducing carbon emissions overall — “decarbonizing” — and simultaneously drawing down carbon into stable systems like soil and through reforestation, habitat restoration, agroforestry, silvopasture, soil regeneration, or keeping old growth forests intact.

Our clean energy transition may be unstoppable, but there’s a tendency to build new capacity to keep up with population growth and related demands simply because leaders get complacent and/or fail to pay attention to best practices. Article in Foreign Affairs tells this story, encapsulated here.