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“100% Renewable Electricity” Does Not Mean “100% Renewable Energy”
Imagine a hypothetical country that generates all of its electricity from hydroelectricity, wind and solar.
Its electricity system would indeed be renewable.
But suppose its cars still run on petrol.
Its trucks run on diesel.
Its aircraft consume jet fuel.
Its industrial furnaces burn natural gas.
Its shipping sector consumes petroleum products.
Can we describe the country’s electricity generation as renewable?
Yes.
Can we describe its entire energy system as renewable?
No.
Those are different claims.
The distinction becomes particularly important when governments, companies, campaigners or commentators discuss progress toward decarbonisation.
The denominator matters.
Electrification Changes the Equation
There is another consequence.
Consider replacing a petrol vehicle with an electric vehicle.
The transport service remains the same: moving people from one location to another.
But the energy pathway changes.
Instead of:
Petroleum → internal-combustion engine → mechanical movement
we increasingly have:
Electricity → electric motor → mechanical movement
Now consider replacing a gas heating system with an electric heat pump.
Again, part of the energy demand has moved from direct fuel consumption into the electricity system.
This is why electrification is so important to understanding the future of energy.
As transport, heating and some industrial processes electrify, electricity becomes responsible for a larger share of the services previously supplied directly by fossil fuels.
Consequently, cleaning the electricity supply can influence sectors far beyond conventional electrical loads.
