Study Predicts Potential for 110% Electricity Increases in U.S. Urban Buildings

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A research study led by University of Oklahoma assistant professor Chenghao Wang and recently published in the journal Nature Communications tackled the critical issue of how city-scale building energy consumption in urban environments will evolve under the influence of climate change.

A research study led by University of Oklahoma assistant professor Chenghao Wang and recently published in the journal Nature Communications tackled the critical issue of how city-scale building energy consumption in urban environments will evolve under the influence of climate change.

Fossil fuels account for approximately 40% of all building energy use in urban city centers in the United States, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that residential and commercial buildings in U.S. cities are one of the major energy consumers (39%) and greenhouse gas emitters (28%).

“Understanding their future energy use is very important for developing climate change mitigation strategies, improving energy efficiency, developing and implementing energy and environmental regulations, policies, and incentive plans and enhancing the resilience and adaptation of our society under future climate and extreme weather conditions,” said Wang, who leads the Sustainable Urban Futures, or SURF, Lab in the OU School of Meteorology.

Read more at: University of Oklahoma

Visualization of change in annual source energy consumption in the 2050s relative to the 2010s under four warming scenarios with a zero-carbon electric power sector. (Photo Credit: Dr. Wang.)