When it comes to clean energy, a few sexy technologies — solar panels, electric cars — get all the headlines. I blame you, the reading public. Tha

This humble home appliance could be San Francisco’s secret climate weapon

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2022-01-24 01:30:06

When it comes to clean energy, a few sexy technologies — solar panels, electric cars — get all the headlines. I blame you, the reading public. That’s what you click on!

But the workhorses of the clean energy transition, especially in the early years, are apt to be boring old technologies nobody writes about, some of which may already be in your home. For example, the rising need for energy storage may be partly answered by ... the water heater, that unlovely white cylinder thing in your basement.

The other day, I came across another unlikely hero: the heat pump. (Try to contain your enthusiasm.) It requires a little setup, though.

Siemens — a big player on both the hardware and software side of the "smart cities" space — has developed a tool for modeling carbon emissions in cities. It allows the company to run scenarios showing how various technologies and practices could reduce emissions. It’s called the City Performance Tool, or CyPT.

Siemens recently approached San Francisco about using CyPT to assess the city’s ambitious sustainability goals. Long term, the city’s carbon emissions are meant to decline 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. (They are already 14.5 percent below 1990 levels.)