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On the efficiency of US electricity usage since 1900

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  • Ayres, Robert U.
  • Ayres, Leslie W.
  • Pokrovsky, Vladimir

Abstract

This article reconstructs the history of electric power uses in the US from 1900 to 1998 from a number of different sources of data. The uses are grouped into functional categories, viz. lighting, electrolysis, high temperature heat (electric furnace applications), low temperature heat (space heating and hot water), motor drive and electronics (radio, TV and information processing). Motor drive accounts for by far the largest absolute share of consumption, while low temperature heating is by far the most rapidly increasing application. We were able to subdivide motor drive into transportation applications (very important in the early years), air-conditioning and refrigeration, and ‘other’, but a further breakdown has not been possible, based on available data. The article also estimates the efficiency of conversion from electric power to ‘secondary work’ for each application, based on historical data (where available) and our estimates. Finally, we develop an estimate of the overall conversion efficiency of electricity to secondary work. Surprisingly, the overall efficiency has remained almost constant during the past century, even though all individual applications have become more efficient, because the least efficient applications (low temperature heat and fractional horsepower motors) have sharply increased their share.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayres, Robert U. & Ayres, Leslie W. & Pokrovsky, Vladimir, 2005. "On the efficiency of US electricity usage since 1900," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1092-1145.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:30:y:2005:i:7:p:1092-1145
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2004.07.012
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    1. de Almeida, Aníbal T & Fonseca, Paula & Bertoldi, Paolo, 2003. "Energy-efficient motor systems in the industrial and in the services sectors in the European Union: characterisation, potentials, barriers and policies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(7), pages 673-690.
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    3. Kawamoto, Kaoru & Koomey, Jonathan G & Nordman, Bruce & Brown, Richard E & Piette, Mary Ann & Ting, Michael & Meier, Alan K, 2002. "Electricity used by office equipment and network equipment in the US," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 255-269.
    4. Ayres, Robert U & Ayres, Leslie W & Warr, Benjamin, 2003. "Exergy, power and work in the US economy, 1900–1998," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 219-273.
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    Cited by:

    1. Moe, Espen, 2010. "Energy, industry and politics: Energy, vested interests, and long-term economic growth and development," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 1730-1740.
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    3. Claire Alestra & Gilbert Cette & Valérie Chouard & Rémy Lecat, 2024. "How can technology significantly contribute to climate change mitigation?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(41), pages 4925-4937, September.
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    5. Jeffrey B. Dahmus, 2014. "Can Efficiency Improvements Reduce Resource Consumption?," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 18(6), pages 883-897, December.
    6. Teles Huo & Miguel St. Aubyn, 2022. "Electricity, Exergy and Economic Growth in Mozambique," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 12(4), pages 439-446, July.
    7. Pinto, Ricardo & Henriques, Sofia T. & Brockway, Paul E. & Heun, Matthew Kuperus & Sousa, Tânia, 2023. "The rise and stall of world electricity efficiency:1900–2017, results and insights for the renewables transition," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    8. Paoli, Leonardo & Cullen, Jonathan, 2020. "Technical limits for energy conversion efficiency," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    9. Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Montini, Anna & Zoboli, Roberto, 2006. "Municipal Waste Production, Economic Drivers, and 'New' Waste Policies: EKC Evidence from Italian Regional and Provincial Panel Data," Climate Change Modelling and Policy Working Papers 12053, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    10. Byers, Edward A. & Gasparatos, Alexandros & Serrenho, André C., 2015. "A framework for the exergy analysis of future transport pathways: Application for the United Kingdom transport system 2010–2050," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 849-862.
    11. Serrenho, André Cabrera & Sousa, Tânia & Warr, Benjamin & Ayres, Robert U. & Domingos, Tiago, 2014. "Decomposition of useful work intensity: The EU (European Union)-15 countries from 1960 to 2009," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 704-715.
    12. Warr, Benjamin & Schandl, Heinz & Ayres, Robert U., 2008. "Long term trends in resource exergy consumption and useful work supplies in the UK, 1900 to 2000," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1-2), pages 126-140, December.
    13. Enflo, Kerstin & Kander, Astrid & Schön, Lennart, 2009. "Electrification and energy productivity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(11), pages 2808-2817, September.
    14. Warr, B.S. & Ayres, R.U., 2010. "Evidence of causality between the quantity and quality of energy consumption and economic growth," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 1688-1693.
    15. Serrenho, André Cabrera & Warr, Benjamin & Sousa, Tânia & Ayres, Robert U. & Domingos, Tiago, 2016. "Structure and dynamics of useful work along the agriculture-industry-services transition: Portugal from 1856 to 2009," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 1-21.
    16. Marcotullio, Peter J. & Schulz, Niels B., 2007. "Comparison of Energy Transitions in the United States and Developing and Industrializing Economies," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1650-1683, October.
    17. Ayres, Robert U., 2008. "Sustainability economics: Where do we stand?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 281-310, September.
    18. Laura Felício & Sofia T. Henriques & André Serrenho & Tiago Domingos & Tânia Sousa, 2019. "Insights from Past Trends in Exergy Efficiency and Carbon Intensity of Electricity: Portugal, 1900–2014," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, February.
    19. Miguel Palma & Tânia Sousa & Zeus Guevara, 2016. "How Much Detail Should We Use to Compute Societal Aggregated Exergy Efficiencies?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-13, May.
    20. Cullen, Jonathan M. & Allwood, Julian M., 2010. "Theoretical efficiency limits for energy conversion devices," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2059-2069.
    21. Matthew Kuperus Heun & Zeke Marshall & Emmanuel Aramendia & Paul E. Brockway, 2020. "The Energy and Exergy of Light with Application to Societal Exergy Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-24, October.
    22. Jadhao, Sachin B. & Pandit, Aniruddha B. & Bakshi, Bhavik R., 2017. "The evolving metabolism of a developing economy: India’s exergy flows over four decades," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 851-857.
    23. Warr, Benjamin & Ayres, Robert & Eisenmenger, Nina & Krausmann, Fridolin & Schandl, Heinz, 2010. "Energy use and economic development: A comparative analysis of useful work supply in Austria, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US during 100Â years of economic growth," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 1904-1917, August.
    24. Heun, Matthew Kuperus & Owen, Anne & Brockway, Paul E., 2018. "A physical supply-use table framework for energy analysis on the energy conversion chain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 1134-1162.
    25. Zeus Guevara & Tânia Sousa & Tiago Domingos, 2016. "Insights on Energy Transitions in Mexico from the Analysis of Useful Exergy 1971–2009," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-29, June.

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