Impacts of Green New Deal Energy Plans on Grid Stability, Costs, Jobs, Health, and Climate in 143 Countries

January 10, 2020

research graphicBy developing Green New Deal energy roadmaps for 143 countries, ITS affiliate Mark A. Delucchi and colleagues are looking for a 100% transition of all-purpose business-as-usual (BAU) energy to wind-water-solar (WWS) energy, efficiency, and storage by 2050 with at least 80% by 2030.

In a new paper, Delucchi, with Stanford University’s Mark Z. Jacobson, Mary A. Cameron, Stephen J. Coughlin, Catherine A. Hay, Indu Priya Manogaran, Yanbo Shu, and Anna-Katharina von Krauland, present their research on Impacts of Green New Deal Energy Plans on Grid Stability, Costs, Jobs, Health, and Climate in 143 Countries in One Earth.

Global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity are three of the greatest problems facing humanity. To address these problems, Jacobson and Delucchi, et al, developed the Green New Deal energy roadmaps for 143 countries. Their studies on grid stability find that the countries, grouped into 24 regions, can match demand exactly from 2050 to 2052 with 100% WWS supply and storage. They also derive new cost metrics: worldwide, WWS energy reduces end-use energy by 57.1%, aggregate private energy costs from $17.7 to $6.8 trillion/year (61%), and aggregate social (private plus health plus climate) costs from $76.1 to $6.8 trillion/year (91%) at a present value capital cost of ∼$73 trillion. WWS energy creates 28.6 million more long-term, full-time jobs than BAU energy and needs only ∼0.17% and ∼0.48% of land for new footprint and spacing, respectively. Thus, WWS requires less energy, costs less, and creates more jobs than does BAU.

Article highlights:

  • Green New Deal all-sector energy roadmaps are developed for 143 countries
  • WWS grid stability is analyzed, and cost metrics are developed for BAU versus WWS energy
  • WWS energy reduces energy needs by 57.1%, energy costs by 61%, and social costs by 91%
  • WWS energy costs $73 trillion upfront and creates 28.6 million more jobs than BAU energy

Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2019.12.003

Recent press surrounding the article:

PhysOrg https://phys.org/news/2019-12-country-green-stanford-paths-countries.html
Gizmodo https://earther.gizmodo.com/could-we-have-a-global-green-new-deal-1840535860
Cleantechnica https://cleantechnica.com/2019/12/20/100-wws-part-1-jacobsons-new-study-displaces-99-7-fossil-energy-with-massive-savings/   
Cleantechnica https://cleantechnica.com/2019/12/20/100-wws-part-2-jacobsons-latest-study-covers-storage-transmission-more/
Cleantechnica https://cleantechnica.com/2019/12/20/100-wws-part-3-jacobsons-new-study-leans-into-the-green-new-deal/
Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-20/going-100-green-will-pay-for-itself-in-seven-years-study-finds
Eureka Alert https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/cp-cec121219.php
Europa Press https://www.notimerica.com/ciencia-tecnologia/noticia-pasos-alcanzar-100-energia-limpia-renovable-2050-20191220180146.html