Each point of the link is debunked.
Top 10 Reasons All-Electric Is a Bad Idea
#1.) “”Electric systems are awfully wasteful.””
This assumes that all electrical power is generated by thermal power plants. Yes, 2/3 of the energy used to heat the steam goes to waste and only one third gets to produce electricity.
But thermal power plants – coal and gas turbine – are rapidly being replaced by Renewables – solar and wind, and battery energy storage. These have very low losses.
#2.) “”Weather makes electrical transmission even more inefficient.””
Notice the word transmission. That’s the high power lines going from the generation source to the regional switchyard. But a growing amount of the electricity is being generated onsite, by rooftop solar or on canopies in parking lots. So there is no losses in transmission.
#3.) “”Coal-powered electricity isn’t leaving quickly enough, elevating the carbon intensity of the grid.””
The coal power plants are being shut down and replaced by renewables – wind and solar, which cost less than coal, natural gas or nuclear power. This is *not* “elevating,” this is reducing the carbon intensity of the grid.
#4) “”Electricity simply isn’t practical for all energy needs. … Replacing Long haul trucking with electrical vehicles in the EU would require 10% of the continent’s power generation…””
What day failed to tell you is that the electric vehicles will be *replacing* fossil fueled vehicles. This means that the amount of electricity used for drilling, extracting, transporting, refining, storing, transporting and dispensing fossil fuels will no longer be needed and will go down. And this reduction will be greater than the increases from electric vehicles – which will be more and more powered by renewables – mostly solar – because it costs less.
#5.) “”Common “clean energy” sources such as biomass, carry environmental questions of their own.””
In the United states, less than 1% of the electricity is generated by wood (biomass). It is a insignificant amount compared to fossil fuels.
#6.) “”Rural and disadvantaged populations have specific reliability needs electricity can’t meet.””
The electricity from the grid may not meet the reliability needed. But when the home has rooftop solar with battery electric storage system, if the grid goes down then the solar and battery take over, giving very high reliability. If the electric power is needed for someone whose life depends on it, then the equipment should have its own battery backup.
#7.) “”The grid isn’t equipped to handle full-blown electrification.””
The “full-blown electrification” of the grid includes VPPs – virtual power plants, V2G – vehicle to grid, and local battery energy storage systems that will make the grid more resilient and less dependent on large scale generation. The “unreliability” of the grid is often caused by PSPS – public safety power shutoffs, when the electric utilities shut off areas for safety or wildfire reasons.
#8.) “”Individual buildings need energy resilience. If a customer … is forced to rely just on electricity for all of their energy needs — heating and cooling, food storage and preparation, transportation, etc. — then a single point of failure can interrupt all of those systems. …and customers without electric cars can still fill up at the gasoline station.””
I’ve addressed this above. With rooftop solar with battery storage, there is a backup system if the grid power goes down.
Customers without electric cars *cannot* fill up at the gas station if the grid is down – gas pumps rely on electric power, too!
#9.) “”All-electric homes, on average, have greater carbon footprints. … When comparing all-electric homes with homes of comparable size and profile that use natural gas, studies find that the gas homes are responsible for about one-third fewer greenhouse gas emissions. [PDF]””
That was true over a decade ago before wind and solar grew to a significant part of the electricity generation. Now the amount of coal has dropped and has been replaced by renewables – wind and solar power.
The link to the .PDF file was 404 Not Found. As the number of homes powered by solar and wind grows, the greenhouse gas emissions is dropping to much less than the homes that use natural gas. Changing to renewables is doing what it’s supposed to do: lowering the greenhouse gases.
#10.) “”Customer preference doesn’t lie with electricity for many applications. Consumer choice is a good thing, and the simple fact remains that for many applications requiring energy, customers prefer the efficacy and results they get with gas. Surveys show that almost 70% of customers prefer natural gas for home heating, water heating and cooking.””
Studies show that cooking with natural gas causes more asthma and breathing problems.
Top 10 Reasons All-Electric Is a Bad Idea