Here's How Listening to the People May Actually Help in Creating a More Sustainable Energy System

A more sustainable energy system will be created in the future by listening to the people. According to customer preferences and projected US population trends, the energy plan for 2050 includes 50% more power produced by renewable sources than present predictions.

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(Photo : Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Highlighting Key Demographics

New research highlights the consumers as a crucial group whose ideas might assist improve energy planning as politicians attempt to reduce carbon emissions and fulfill climate targets.

Researchers led by Kyushu University developed a "desirable" electricity generation mix for 2050 that includes 50% more energy from renewable sources than projections based on current plans and policies. They did this by considering the demographics and preferences of US racial groups, clarified through a nationally representative survey of 3,000 US residents.

The study's principal investigator, associate professor at Kyushu University's International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Research (I2CNER), Andrew Chapman, says that since consumers in the US have an increasing number of options when selecting their energy provider, it is important to hear and comprehend their opinions.

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Important Needs

We set out to create an energy plan that considers the many viewpoints and the fast changing demographics of the US in light of this, and we contrasted it to the existing top-down plan in which legislators establish energy targets.

To create their energy strategy, an international team of researchers from Kyushu University, Nagasaki University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign polled 3,000 Americans in 2020 about their preferences, knowledge of energy technologies, policies, and issues, as well as their priorities and other viewpoints.

They allocated roughly 2.4 billion kWh of electricity generating capacity out to the year 2050 based on the preferences of each racial group and the anticipated future racial demographics of the country, taking into account only future construction projects needed to replace power plants when they reached the end of their useful lives and to meet predicted growth in energy consumption.

According to the US Energy Information Administration's estimated energy mix by 2050 based on existing plans and regulations, the resulting energy mix contains roughly 61 percent renewable-based power, compared to 42 percent anticipated.

The researchers' strategy, however, reduces coal-based energy by more than three quarters and nuclear power by more than half compared to forecasts. Both instances of natural gas are comparable, demonstrating that customers know the requirement for a reliable energy source in real life.

As seen by the significant willingness to shift away from fossil and nuclear toward renewables, Chapman concludes that "there appears to be substantial support for a greater emphasis on technologies that will help to accomplish emission and climate targets when building the future energy system."

Considering Important Demographics

All racial groups understand the necessity for a steady energy supply, integrating natural gas with their preference for renewables, led by solar and wind, even if each favors distinct sources in the future energy mix.

Additionally, variations in regional preferences were found. For instance, dealing with climate change and achieving a just energy system were given far more priority along the west coast. Such feedback may later be utilized to create energy plans that use differences amongst US power systems.

The researchers point out that given how long such projects take to design and operate, their hydroelectric and geothermal output allocation may be unreasonable. A balanced approach to prices and job prospects must also be considered when designing an energy system because respondents consistently listed a strong economy as one of their top objectives.

Actually Wanting Renewables

In addition to the fact that consumer preferences appear to favor more renewable energy sources than present plans, Chapman adds, "we also discovered that preferences were tied to awareness, which is also significantly linked to education." Therefore, energy education will probably be critical in reaching carbon reduction targets and promoting inclusive energy system design.