Learning Curves: Energy Efficiency Interventions

Abstract

In addition to affecting changes in the economic structure (for instance, reducing the share of industry in the overall GDP), the options available to contain energy consumption are the improvement of (i) energy supply-side efficiencies (by reducing energy losses in the supply chain), and (ii) energy demand-side efficiencies (by consuming less energy for the same level of service). Energy efficiency improvement is recognized as a highly cost-effective alternative to increasing energy availability; a megawatt of power capacity saved (e.g., by retrofitting energy-efficient industrial equipment) costs about half that of adding equivalent coal-fired power-generating capacity.