Written by by Kip Hansen at wattsupwiththat.com
The new mantra for the renewable energy advocates of almost all stripes is: “Electrify Everything”. Think not? Try an internet search for the phrase: “electrify everything” — a few samples:
We Need to Make ‘Electrifying Everything’ Easier — Scientific American — Jul 1, 2022
Electrify Everything — Center for Energy and Environment — Jan 1, 2023
Electrify Everything — Mother Jones — Apr 18, 2023
Why and How to Electrify Everything — Skeptical Science — May 4, 2022
2022: The Year that Launched the Electrify Everything Movement – Sierra Club — Dec 12, 2022
How electrification became a major tool for fighting climate change. – NY Times — April 14, 2023
Electrify Everything Everywhere All At Once For The Climate And Economy — Forbes Nov 6, 2023
Let me start with the claims made in the NY Times news item — by Nadja Popovich and Brad Plumer — published last April in the NY Times ( repeating the link ). Their main point is given in the first three paragraphs:
“The United States still gets most of its energy by setting millions of tiny fires everywhere. Cars, trucks, homes and factories all burn fossil fuels in countless engines, furnaces and boilers, creating pollution that heats the planet.
To tackle climate change, those machines will need to stop polluting. And the best way to do that, experts increasingly say, is to replace them with electric versions — cars, heating systems and factories that run on clean sources of electricity like wind, solar or nuclear power.
But electrifying almost everything is a formidabl
They have at least one thing right: electrifying almost everything is a formidable task. It is not just formidable — I suspect it might be physically impossible in the present and probably in the short-term (years, decades).e task.”