Foreword

Is Zero Energy Growth in Our Future?

In the year 2010, 50 energy experts were polled about the likely impact of energy efficiency on future electricity use in the year 2020.1 They said that it would lower energy consumption by 5 to 15 percent and that peak demand would be lowered by 7.5 to 15 percent.2

So what do the results portend? If these reductions are applied to the 1 percent annual growth rate in energy consumption and peak demand that seems to be the consensus projection these days, the result is zero growth.

Some of us recall the book, The Limits to Growth, which was published in 1972 by the Club of Rome. Partly for its messianic tone and partly for its Malthusian conclusions, the book was immediately panned by academics.With ...

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