Energy Efficiency is the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process that is measured as the amount of energy output for a given energy input and calculated as a percentage between 0% and 100%. (e.g., amount of mechanical energy vs. electric motor produced for a given input of electrical energy)
Reference Information by The Wind Energy Fact Sheet NSW in Australia: Energy Efficiency measures how much of the primary energy source (e.g. wind, coal, gas) is converted into electricity. NSW coal-fired power stations convert 29% to 37% of the coal into electricity, and NSW gas plants convert 32% to 50% of gas processed into electricity. Wind turbines convert around 45% of the wind passing through the blades into electricity (and almost 50% at peak efficiency). Over time, coal power stations operate at around 85% of full capacity (known as the capacity factor). Gas power station capacity factors vary from as high as 85% to less than 10% (if designed only to supply electricity at peak periods). The average capacity factor for a large-solar plant that produces electricity during daylight hours is around 20–25%. The average capacity factor for a wind farm in Australia is around 35%, and can range from 25% to 45%. Wind farm capacity factors are lower than coal and baseload gas plants, but they use their energy source more efficiently and can be large-scale suppliers of electricity.
Related Definitions in the Project: The Energy Definitions; Engineering; Renewable Energy
Example Article of the Energy Efficiency:
The Battle Over Energy-Efficient Housing is Heating Up Across the U.S. (Source: Oil Price on 12 March 2024): By Haley Zaremba - Energy efficiency is essential for meeting climate goals and studies show that they will save consumers money on heating and electric bills in the long run – so why do standards for energy-efficient housing get so much pushback? One big reason is a nationwide coordinated defensive effort by the National Association of Home Builders, the United States housing industry’s largest lobbying group. There’s no denying that government mandates that require more stringent energy efficiency standards in newly built homes increase up-front costs. But those costs have been greatly inflated by the home-builder lobby according to reporting from The Washington Post. In North Carolina, one of the major flash points for this surprisingly hot issue, the National Association of Home Builders widely reported that new standards proposed by the state government would increase the average home-building cost by $20,400. A federal study of the North Carolina code update found that the actual figure would be around $6,500. ...
IBM's New Analogue Chip Boosts AI Energy Efficiency (Source: Oil Price on 24 August 2023): By Haley Zaremba - A new breakthrough in tech may have just solved artificial intelligence’s energy problems. AI requires a massive and growing amount of energy, and is producing more and more greenhouse gas emissions as the sector continues to expand. The issue has been the subject of increasing attention and anxiety in recent months, but those worries could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new kind of analogue computer chip developed by IBM research. The analogue chip is capable of running an AI speech recognition model 14 times more efficiently than a standard computer chip. The analogue chip is a compute-in-memory (CiM) model, which means that it’s able to performs calculation directly within its own memory instead of sending information back and forth millions of times to recall or store data in external memory chips, thereby relieving a significant bottleneck currently plaguing AI operations. ...
Energy Efficiency Is Now Critical For Europe (Source: Oil Price on 12 January 2023): By Felicity Bradstock - Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent global shortage of oil and gas – due to sanctions imposed on Russian energy – governments worldwide have rushed to find alternative sources, as well as encouraging the public to massively reduce their energy usage in a bid to enhance energy security. Political leaders have rapidly introduced new energy policies to increase funding for renewable energy projects, nuclear power, and alternative oil and gas supplies, as well as encouraging energy firms and industries to come up with innovative solutions to help boost energy security. However, as we go into 2023, shifting towards the existing alternatives to Russian energy will not be enough to provide the power and heating needed as demand rises. Therefore, political powers worldwide are encouraging greater frugality when it comes to energy consumption, in a war-like effort to tackle the crisis. ...
Energy Efficiency Needs To Speed Up To Meet Climate Goals (Source: Oil Price on 6 December 2021): By Tsvetana Paraskova - Energy efficiency and ways to reduce emissions from buildings may be the cheapest way to lower carbon footprints and help reach climate goals, but the current pace of investments in energy efficiency is insufficient for a net-zero pathway. Now investors in energy efficiency, including companies and funds, are pushing for government policies targeting more efficient energy use, as they see a lack of action would be a missed opportunity to boost energy efficiency, the Financial Times’ Harry Dempsey notes. The missed opportunity in energy efficiency would be like “$20 bills littering the sidewalk and nobody [picking] them up,” Katie McGinty, Vice President & Chief Sustainability, Government and Regulatory Affairs Officer at energy efficiency and buildings technology company Johnson Controls, told the FT. ...
