The Coming Electricity Crisis
Posted4 months agoActive4 months ago
foreignaffairs.comResearchstory
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Energy EfficiencyElectricity DemandSustainability
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Energy Efficiency
Electricity Demand
Sustainability
The article discusses an impending electricity crisis, while the discussion highlights the role of efficiency gains in reducing electricity demand and the potential impact of technological changes on energy usage.
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Sep 9, 2025 at 4:45 PM EDT
4 months ago
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Switching from incandescent to fluorescent to LED reduced the amount of energy used for lighting to around 1/8th of what it used to be (60w incandescent lamp ~= 8w LED lamp)
Switching from across-the-line starters for three-phase AC induction motors to variable frequency drives and EC motors has yielded the rest of the efficiency gains. A motor driven at 63% of its full rated speed uses 25% of the electricity that it would at full speed.
We’re approaching the point where a majority of the existing lighting and motor controllers have been upgraded, and big tech is building shitloads of multiple GW data centers. There’s also a push to transition natural gas furnace users over to heat pump users which will further stress the grid.