As someone who has worked extensively in renewable energy, I’ve always known that fossil fuels have a tremendous impact on our environment. However, when you sit down and truly calculate the numbers, the results can still be overwhelming—and eye-opening. Recently, I ran some calculations on the CO₂ emissions related to electricity consumption in South Florida, and the outcome was nothing short of staggering.
Photo by Carlos Fernandez
Let’s Start with Some Context
South Florida consumes about 80 TWh (terawatt-hours) of electricity each year. Keep in mind that this is only the electricity use, excluding gasoline for cars, trucks, and other transportation, as well as oil for shipping and manufacturing. Most of that electricity is generated from natural gas (~72.5%), with smaller contributions from solar (~8%), nuclear (~13.5%), and a small amount from coal (~2.5%). Given this breakdown, the CO₂ emissions from the region’s natural gas and coal use alone amount to around 25.6 million tons of CO₂ annually.
Visualizing the Scale of CO₂ Emissions
When we talk about millions of tons of CO₂, it's hard to visualize what that means. So, I decided to put it in a more tangible form: a road made of compressed CO₂.
Imagine building a 3-foot (91cm) high road of CO₂ emissions across the width of a major highway.
Using the dimensions of the I-95 highway near Brickell, Miami, which has around 10 lanes and a total width of 120 feet (36.6m), you could construct a CO₂ road that stretches a mind-blowing 242,000 miles (389,460 km).
Let me put that in perspective for you:
242,000 miles is enough to travel the length of the I-95 (from Miami to the Canadian border in Maine) 126 times.
It’s enough to circle the Earth almost 10 times.
And here’s the most astonishing realization: this road could stretch from Brickell, Miami, all the way to the moon, and still have about 3,145 miles (5,061 km) left over!
Photo by Carlos Fernandez
The Reality of Our Ongoing Fossil Fuel Dependence
This visualization offers a shocking glimpse into the impact of our current reliance on fossil fuels in South Florida, a region blessed with year-round sunshine, which makes the potential for solar energy enormous. Furthermore, the solar peak at noon perfectly aligns with air-conditioning usage, reducing dependence on the grid or energy storage. Yet, we still rely overwhelmingly on natural gas.
The road to the moon, in this case, represents not just CO₂ but an urgent call for a faster transition to renewable energy. If we can harness more solar power, adopt energy storage technologies, and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we could significantly decrease these staggering emissions.
A Path Forward: Clean Energy and Sustainability
We know the path forward: clean energy, more solar, more wind, and better, more mature, and flexible technologies in energy storage. As the cost of renewable technologies continues to fall and their efficiency improves, there’s no reason South Florida couldn’t become a leader in clean energy transformation. We have the natural resources; now, we need the commitment to make the transition. This isn’t just about protecting our environment—it’s about creating a sustainable future where we’re not metaphorically paving a road to the moon with the pollution we generate.
So, Is Installing Solar Panels on Every Home the Solution?
If we were to provide every resident in South Florida with solar panels for their homes, you’d need 26 panels per person to meet all electricity use in the region. That sounds like a lot, but it includes not only household use (30-40% of the total) but also commercial (40-50%) such as malls, airports, shops, and offices, and industry (10-20%). If you were to provide panels solely for home use, the number would reduce to 8-10 panels per person. Looking ahead, this number could decrease to 6-8 panels per resident for home use with the expected efficiency improvements in the next 10 years.
If this realization leaves you thinking, I encourage you to consider how your choices, both personal and professional, can support the transition to a clean energy future. Our collective action today will determine whether future generations live in a world of sustainable energy or continue building highways of emissions. As flooding from rising sea levels and intensifying rainstorms due to climate change have increased over the last few years, this is definitely something to ponder.
There are multiple ways forward, and I’d like to provide some suggestions:
Install solar panels on your home, which is also a great way to prepare for power outages after hurricanes.
Work with your community on renewable energy initiatives, such as collectively investing in solar on a mall, plaza, or shopping center.
Let your voice be heard to change legislation, making it easier to install solar, wind, or storage.
Even though I want to leave politics out of it, I do suggest studying political parties' plans and commitments to clean energy and voting for what you believe serves you and the planet we live on best.
Invest in sustainable technologies and startups that can either reduce energy use, increase efficiency of clean energy, create more flexible storage systems, and mitigates the already ongoing effects of climate change.
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