Dan Sperling Contributes to American Physical Society Report on Energy Efficiency
Professor Dan Sperling, Director of ITS-Davis and Co-Director of the STEPS Program, recently served on the committee that authored the American Physical Society study investigating the role of energy efficiency in multiple sectors. Professor Sperling and Dr. David Greene served as the transportation experts for the committee. The report, “Energy Future: Think Efficiency,” included a comprehensive look at the transportation sector and culminated in a number of conclusions relevant to policymakers.
Excerpts from the Executive Summary:
Making major gains in energy efficiency is one of the most economical and effective ways our nation can wean itself off its dependence on foreign oil and reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. Transportation and buildings, which account for two-thirds of American energy usage, consume far more than they need to, but even though there are many affordable energy efficient technologies that can save consumers money, market imperfections inhibit their adoption. To overcome the barriers, the federal government must adopt policies that will transform the investments into economic and societal benefit. And the federal government must invest in research and development programs that target energy efficiency...
Science and technology have progressed considerably since the 1970’s, but U.S. energy policy has not. It is time to revisit the issue. The American Physical Society set up its Energy Efficiency Study Group to do just that for the transportation and buildings sectors of our economy. In this report we examine the scientific and technological opportunities and policy actions that can make the United States more energy efficient, increase its security and reduce its impact on global warming. We believe the findings and recommendations will help Congress and the next administration to realize those goals...
A summary of the report’s transportation objectives for energy efficiency can be found on the study’s website (http://www.aps.org/energyefficiencyreport/objectives/transportation.cfm). The full report can also be downloaded (http://www.aps.org/energyefficiencyreport). Several of the transportation specific recommendations include:
- Enhance the Federal Government’s RD&D transportation program by creating a balanced portfolio approach to medium and long-term technology investments.
- The Federal Government should establish policies to ensure that new light-duty vehicles average 50 miles per gallon or more by 2030.
- Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) could reduce gasoline consumption by more than 60% assuming technologies that offer 40 miles of all-electric range. However, hurdles remain for battery technology to achieve this cost effectively.
- There are many areas of long-term basic and applied research that offer unusually promising opportunities for meeting energy efficiency objectives. Areas in transportation include batteries, catalysts, fuel cells and thermoelectric devices.
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