Brittle Power- PARTS 1-3 (+Notes) - Natural Capitalism Solutions

The notes for Chapter 15 appear on page 370 of this pdf.Chapter FifteenEnd-Use Efficiency:Most Resilience PerDollarOne of the principles of resilient design derived in Chapter Thirteen is thatthe parts of the energy system should be “coupled loosely in time, not tightly,”so that failures are slow and graceful rather than rapid and abrupt. Thiscan be done either by providing more storage between successive stages ofenergy conversion and supply or by using energy at a slower rate so that the sameamount of storage is depleted more gradually. That is the principle enunciatedby the Chinese philosopher Lao-tse two and a half millennia ago:In managing affairs there is no better advice than to be sparing.To be sparing is to forestall.To forestall is to be prepared and strengthened.To be prepared and strengthened is to be ever successful.To be ever successful is to have infinite capacity. 1This chapter shows how applying that simple principle to the energy systemcan profoundly increase national resilience.Using energy more slowly need not mean curtailing or doing without theservices which energy provides—the comfort, light, mobility, ability to makesteel or bake bread—which are the motive for seeking energy in the first place.Indeed, some services can be provided without needing to supply any energy.Opening office curtains can admit daylight to replace artificial light. A properlydesigned house can maintain indoor comfort year-round without needinga furnace or an air-conditioner (as will be described below). In such cases,since no energy is required, there is no energy supply to be interrupted, soenergy vulnerability has been eliminated. More commonly, the need for energycannot be wholly eliminated, but it can be reduced by raising the end-use235