Story edited from GreenBiz
Energy efficiency stories are always carbon emission stories, and a new study explains that the connection is even deeper than most people realize. A report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) states that improving energy efficiency in the US will not only cut energy consumption by 30 percent, but it could also eliminate the need for more than 60 percent of coal-fired power generation, the dirtiest of the dirty.
Assessing the Electric Productivity Gap and the US Efficiency Opportunity examines each state’s productivity rate by weighing their GDP against kilowatt-hours consumed. The five states with the best performance are New York, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware and California, while Idaho, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi have the poorest performance. The study suggests that if every state could meet the energy-use standards of the top 10 performers — which is possible through energy efficiency alone — then more than 60 percent of the country’s coal-fired generation could be avoided.
“Closing the electric productivity gap through energy efficiency is the largest near-term opportunity to immediately reduce electricity use and greenhouse gases, and move the United States forward as a leader in the new clean energy economy,” says Natalie Mims, a consultant on RMI’s Energy and Resources Team.
The study also concludes that:
________
Assessing the Electric Productivity Gap and the U.S. Efficiency Opportunity is available for download as a PDF.