A 'pliers in hand' visionary

By Chris Verner

cverner@salisburypost.com

When it comes to implementing new energy technologies that are more

efficient and sustainable than the conventional oil and coal on which

the United States and much of the global economy now rely, Amory Lovins

doesn't think we need to reinvent the wheel. We just need to reinvent

fire.

"Reinventing fire" is Lovins' phrase for the energy transformation he

has been envisioning, advocating and helping to create for much of his

life.

While the Energizer Bunny may be the one banging the drum, Lovins

has been beating the bushes for decades in search of solutions to the

world's energy problems — problems such as geopolitical instability,

economic inefficiencies and imbalances, nuclear proliferation and

environmental damage.

Lovins, who will appear at Catawba College on

Feb. 23, co-founded the Rocky Mountain Institute in 1982. It's a

nonprofit "think and do" tank in Colorado that partners with companies

in the private sector to help increase energy efficiency, reduce waste

and improve profits.

In keeping with Lovins' background in the hard

sciences (he studied experimental physics at Harvard and Oxford), RMI

is a test bed for entrepreneurialism, not an ivory tower of

conceptualization. RMI's projects have ranged from helping Texas

Instruments lower the costs of producing microchips to improving the

fuel efficiency of Walmart's freight trucks.

In addition to consulting with dozens of businesses, the Pentagon and

governments around the world, Lovins has written 29 books, including

co-authoring "Winning the Oil Endgame" (2004), which offers a detailed

blueprint for transitioning away from a fossil-fuel based economy. He

has written hundreds of articles, some of which lay out his arguments

against expanding nuclear power, which he says can't be justified

economically and inevitably increases the proliferation of nuclear

weapons.

His blend of futuristic thinking and real-world pragmatism has brought

countless accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant"

and a "Breakthrough Leadership Award" from Popular Mechanics magazine,

which described him as a "pliers-in-hand visionary."

The new fire is already out there, Lovins says, in the form of solar

energy, wind power, wave power, geothermal devices, biomass plants,

fuel cells, energy efficient construction techniques, home appliances

and a veritable explosion of other technologies that can enhance our

production and use of energy. The challenge is scaling up their

availability and showing hard-nosed business moguls that waste is the

enemy of profitability, and inefficiency impedes growth and expansion.

Smart companies are already adopting these technologies — companies

like the carpetmaker Interface, Texas Instruments and, yes, even

Walmart. "This is where the market is going," Lovins says.

It's the bottom-line imperative that will drive the next energy

revolution, he believes, not government mandates or fears of

environmental catastrophe. "Saving energy is cheaper than buying it, so

smart firms are rapidly investing in energy efficiency, whether they

worry about climate issues or not."

Lovins, who keeps a busy schedule of speaking engagements, recently

talked with the Post during an airport layover. Here are excerpts from

that interview, edited for brevity.

Q. The title of your presentation here is "Profitable Solutions to

Climate, Oil, and Proliferation." Can you give us a quick preview?

A.

There are both old and new technologies and design methods that can

make problems like climate change, oil dependence and nuclear

proliferation go away, not at a cost but at a profit. Profits rise

because it's cheaper to save fuel than to buy fuel. Efficiency is

cheaper than inefficiency and waste. There are also supply-wide

revolutions. For example, the conventional power plants that have

served us so well have become obsolete. We can produce energy much more

efficiently using sources like micropower, cogeneration technologies

and renewables. When you add all of this up, you've just reinvented

fire. You have a recipe for a business-led transition from oil and coal

to energy-efficient renewables.

Q.What are some examples of micropower?

A. That's a term from the Economist magazine. There are two kinds of

micropower. One involves cogeneration technologies that produce power

along with heat that can be used to heat buildings, for example. The

other kind of micropower involves renewable sources, such as wind,

solar, photovoltaic or biomass conversion. There are also some other

emerging technologies, such as using waves and tidal currents to

produce power.

Q. Do those technologies involve decentralization of

power sources and moving away from the conventional power grid?

A. The grid will still be there, and you'd still be connected to it,

but there would be a higher reliance on these other sources. For

instance, my own house (in Snowmass, Colo.) runs with or without the

grid. (Lovins explains that he generates his own solar power and has

recently installed some newer technologies, such as LED lighting and

highly efficient ceiling fans; an indoor greenhouse helps produce heat

and allows him to raise his own bananas). I've done the "pull the plug"

test, and the lights don't flicker. It's quite remarkable how well

these things can work.

Q. What are some examples where business is helping to lead the way in

these areas?A. Look at what smart companies are doing to reduce carbon

emissions, regardless of whether they're doing it to help the climate

or whether they're doing it to be more profitable. (Lovins cites

several business examples, including Atlanta-based carpet maker

Interface, which has made a longterm commitment to sustainable business

practices; between 1995 and 2007, the company halved the amount of

waste it sends to landfills, at a cumulative savings of $372 million;

it reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent and cut water

intake by 75 percent — all while continuing to increase profits;

another example is United Technologies, a diversified corporation whose

products range from Otis elevators to advanced fuel cells; according to

its most recent annual report, United Technologies has cut its own

energy use 22 percent and reduced water consumption by 50 percent since

1997, while doubling revenues; it has reduced its greenhouse gas

emissions more than 10 percent in the past two years and was recently

recognized by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change for its

development of energy efficient products and services.) This sort of

thing is catching on widely.

Then, in the fossil fuel and utility

industries, you see companies figuring out new business models from

enhanced efficiencies and micropower. This is where the market is

going.

Q. People tend to think of energy efficiency and energy conservation as

being similar concepts, but you draw a sharp distinction between

them.

A. That's absolutely right. Let's make it clear that what I'm

talking about is doing more and doing it better with less. I'm not

talking about privation, discomfort and curtailment. We've had several

presidents who told us we needed to be hotter in the summer and colder

in the winter. In the business world, it might be clearer to use the

term raising energy productivity. There are some spectacular examples

that I'll be talking about (in Salisbury).

One of the basic lessons I'll describe is how to make large savings

actually cost less than small savings.

Coming up:

Amory Lovins will speak at Catawba College on Feb. 23. The program

begins at 7 p.m. in Keppel Auditorium. The presentation and following

reception are free and open to the public, but registration is

necessary. The college’s Center for the Environment is hosting the

event. Register online at www.centerfortheenvironment.org or contact

Amanda Lanier at allanier@catawba.edu or 704-637-4727.