Kilowatt Ours Interviews
Christopher Flavin - President, WorldWatch Institute
Chris is a leading voice on the need to build a low-carbon economy that will
meet human needs without undermining the Earth's ecological support systems.
He is co-author of three books on energy, including Power Surge: Guide to the
Coming Energy Revolution, which anticipated many of the changes now under way
in world energy markets. Chris is a regular co-author of the Institute's annual
State of the World report, which has been published in 36 languages. He has
participated in several historic international conferences, including the Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the Climate Change Conference in Kyoto,
Japan, in 1997.
Christopher Flavin - Part One
Chapter Eight
- We actually waste most of the energy we use. Power plants use only about 30% of the energy it uses.
- We take electricity for granted. Most of it comes from coal burning power plants which produces a lot of hidden damages.
- The US has 5% of the population and we use 25% of the fossil fuels. We have a real opportunity to improve on that.
- Global warming is coming and we need to respond to that threat.
Christopher Flavin - Part Two
Chapter Eight
- The choice today is to make move away from fossil fuels because it is the right thing to do not because we run out of it.
- There is tremendous potential to reduce the amount of energy we use especially in the amount of waste in generation.
- Our waste heat is enough to run the entire country of Japan.
- Only about 5% of the energy in the coal actually reaches the appliance that you use in your home.
Christopher Flavin - Part Three
Chapter Eight
- Population growth is going to offset many of the gains in energy efficiency. But we can avoid building new generation facilities.
- Wind power is growing at about 30% per year over the past 20 years. And Solar power has been growing by 25%.
- We are seeing tremendous investments in fuel cells, although not much is evident right now.
- The advantage of distributed rather than centralized power you overcome a lot of the losses from transmission. You are more independant with your own power on site.
Christopher Flavin - Part Four
Chapter Eight
- If we make smart choices as we invest in technologies we will find that the transition will actually create jobs and enhance our economy. If we don't respond our need for these technologies will have to be purchased from overseas.
- We can't rely on solar power because it is too expensive. Compare to early PC's and you will see that we are on the same path as that.
- Information is the most important thing to bring awareness to the masses.
- The power of example is most powerful than all.
Relevant Links:
- Worldwatch: Programs and Research
- YouTube.com: 1 minute interview with Flavin
