To Save the Planet, We’ll Have to Plug More Things In

Dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be hard enough, but to do it without hooking many more things up to batteries or electrical cords would be just about impossible. Almost all the scenarios for moving from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives rest on using electricity in more parts of the economy. In Europe, which has the most ambitious plans in this area, widespread electrification combined with moving generation to renewable sources could slash emissions by 60% by 2050, according to a BloombergNEF analysis. But doing so will require a major overhaul of millions of systems that currently run cheaply and reliably, bringing with it immense upheaval.

Oil, natural gas and coal currently are the source of 85% of the world’s energy, with nuclear, hydropower and renewables making up the remaining 15%, according to data from BP Plc. Fossil fuels now feed about 60% of electrical power generation, but that share is slowly falling, as the cost of generating power from solar and wind farms has made the case for electrification -- also known as “sector coupling” -- even more compelling. Norway has made great strides with electric vehicles, which accoun for almost 60%of new cars on the road.