Good practices
Good practices

Event

The Advantages of Electrification for Decarbonisation Webinar video now online

Event

Topic

Energy system planning & implementation
Calendar 19 December 2019
Location Online

What advantages will high shares of renewables-based electrification bring for society, the climate and the economy? Saul Griffith, founder and chief scientist at Otherlab shares his thought-provoking ideas on modelling, efficiency, old narratives and the grid.

Otherlab – a US-based research and development firm – focusses on renewable and clean energy, robotics, automation, digital fabrication, adaptive textiles, advanced manufacturing, computational design tools and more. In 2017, they were charged with modelling an ultra-high resolution picture of the US energy economy. The results showed that “electrifying the US economy from carbon-free sources will reduce the amount of energy needed by more than half.” (read more).

Some of the thought-provoking ideas Saul shares during the webinar are:

  • High-resolution energy data across all sectors can provide new insight into decarbonisation.
  • Efficiency is a false god leftover from the 1970’s narratives where the giant efficiency gain is in fact electrification.
  • Electrification lowers the primary energy by more than half.
  • A focus on electrification can bring positive conversations about transformation to stagnant climate debates.
  • There is more storage than we believe in building systems and industry and we should have lower fears of renewable dispatch ability.
  • We need to redesign grids to absorb all of these new assets, both generation, and storage.
  • One can’t consider the generation side of electrification without also considering the demand side – a conversation too rarely had.

Agenda

Antina Sander Deputy CEO, RGI
Speaker
Saul Griffith Founder & Chief Scientist, Otherlab
Speaker

Event Partners

This event was organised in cooperation with:

contact

Stephanie Bätjer

Director – Communication

Stephanie Bätjer

Director – Communication

t: +49 30 2332 11017
Stephanie Bätjer is leading the Renewables Grid Initiative’s communication and event activities as Programme Manager – Communication. She is also heavily involved in RGI’s policy work and all activities that look at social engagement around grids. She previously worked in the communications team of the European Climate Foundation. Stephanie has studied at the Universities of Marburg and Hamburg, Germany, and the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She holds degrees in political science and journalism.

Stephanie Bätjer

Director – Communication

Stephanie Bätjer

Director – Communication

t: +49 30 2332 11017
Stephanie Bätjer is leading the Renewables Grid Initiative’s communication and event activities as Programme Manager – Communication. She is also heavily involved in RGI’s policy work and all activities that look at social engagement around grids. She previously worked in the communications team of the European Climate Foundation. Stephanie has studied at the Universities of Marburg and Hamburg, Germany, and the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She holds degrees in political science and journalism.