Wilcox+Hegemonic+Backdrop

=Memo: Hegemonic Backdrop= James Wilcox, Spring 2013

Inspired by Pfaffenberger’s “standard view:”

//The choice to use as much or as little energy as one desires at will is a cornerstone of individual liberty and thus, the American Way of Life. Energy demand is the aggregate sum of these individual choices, which in turn drive decisions by energy providers to build new generation capacity. Because an abundant, dependable flow of energy is essential for economic development and societal well-being, energy providers choose to meet market signals pointing to increased demand by building and adjusting infrastructure accordingly. This often involves the continued maintenance of and reliance on “dirty” coal-fired power plants for backup generation, while renewables are viewed as too unreliable, intermittent, or expensive to be of real, widespread use. It would be nice to use more renewables, but they need to become cheaper, more efficient, or more reliable through direct or complementary technological innovation.//

//Because of a variety of factors, such as greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, the possibility of greater energy independence, and long-held American values like thrift and efficiency, reducing energy use and/or finding “cleaner” alternatives to fossil fuels is a worthwhile goal. However, moving toward that goal should not involve any significant changes to our comfort, convenience, or general way of life. The constant availability of relatively cheap energy must be maintained to preserve healthy economic growth. To give the customers what they want, utilities must continue to provide uninterrupted energy services; people don’t want to be bothered to think about how they use energy.//

//However, “wasted” energy represents a portion of all energy demand, and this should be resisted. Inefficient energy expenditure stems from a combination of human “behavioral” quirks on one hand and ”technological” characteristics on the other. Energy prices are not high enough to provide users with significant incentives to overcome these “barriers” to efficiency on their own. Thus, policy interventions must be developed overcome the irrationality of human beings. Through correctly designed “levers,” such as well-placed incentives to make efficiency improvements, appliance certification programs, and funding for technological innovation, policymakers can achieve “market transformations,” in which energy efficient technologies become widespread without the need for government incentives. More efficient technologies, from devices and appliances to buildings and automobiles, is a self-evident social and moral good.//