PROJECT REPORT #4

By: Jorge Aguilar and Lorena Correa

Class: SI1A

AMORY LOVINS
1. BIOGRAPHY
Amory Bloch Lovins, who was born on November
13th, 1947, is an American physicist, environmental
scientist, writer, and Chairman/Chief Scientist of
the Rocky Mountain Institute. He has worked in
the field of energy policy and related areas for
four decades. He was named by Time magazine one
of the World's 100 most influential people in 2009.
Lovins worked professionally as
an environmentalist in the 1970s and since then as
an analyst of a "soft energy path" for the United States and other
nations. He has promoted energy efficiency, the use of renewable
energy sources, and the generation of energy at or near the site where
the energy is actually used. Lovins has also advocated a
"negawatt revolution" arguing that utility customers dont want kilowatt-
hours of electricity; they want energy services. In the 1990s, his work
with Rocky Mountain Institute included the design of an ultra-efficient
automobile, the Hypercar.
Lovins has received ten honorary doctorates and won many awards. He
has provided expert testimony in eight countries, briefed 19 heads of
state, and published 29 books. These books include Reinventing
Fire, Winning the Oil Endgame, Small is Profitable, Brittle Power,
and Natural Capitalism.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM THAT HE IS EXPERT AT
Hard Energy Path: Non-renewable
resources, such as coal, oil and natural gas,
have been declining for a considerable
amount of time. The hard energy path is
represented by people who support the
continuation of consuming fossil fuels at any
price. Supporters argue that concerns about
fossil fuels in previous decades were proven unreasonable and that the
hard energy path will prove the concerns unreasonable once again. Hard
energy path supporters admit, however, that more efficient methods of
using fossil fuels and nuclear energy need to be developed for hard
energy to maintain itself. Providing incentives to develop nuclear energy
plants and process fossil fuels in large, energy-generating plants would
be most effective, proponents state. The more such plants are used, the
less expensive per capita they would be to operate.


3. SOLUTIONS/ACTIONS THAT HE HAS PROVIDED


Negawatt power: Negawatt power is a theoretical unit of power
representing an amount of energy (measured in Watts) saved. Energy
is saved by either increased efficiency or reduced energy
consumption; the conserved energy is a "negawatt". The concept of a
negawatt is simply a measure of power that is not used. Negawatts
are a form of encouragement to motivate consumers to conserve
energy.
[4]
Amory Lovins considers the concept of conservation "a
change in behavior based on the attitude 'Do Less to Use Less.'" He
makes a distinction between conservation and efficiency by defining
efficiency as "the application of technologies and best practices to
eliminate waste based on the attitude, 'Do the same or more with
less.'"
He has promoted energy efficiency, which is the goal to reduce the
amount of energy required to provide products and services.
He has also promoted the use of renewable energy sources.
In the 1990s, his work with Rocky Mountain Institute included the
design of an ultra-efficient automobile, the Hypercar, This vehicle
would have ultra-light construction with an aerodynamic body using
advanced composite materials, low-drag design, and hybrid drive.


4. ORGANISATION AND COUNTRY HE WORKS IN
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), USA:
By 1978 Lovins had published six books, consulted
widely, and was active in energy affairs in some
15 countries. In 1982, he and Hunter
Lovins founded Rocky Mountain Institute, based
in Snowmass, Colorado. Together with a group of
colleagues, the Lovinses fostered efficient
resource use and sustainable development.
Lovins has briefed 19 heads of state, provided expert testimony in eight
countries, and published 29 books and several hundred papers.

His
clients have included many Fortune 500 companies, major real-estate
developers, and utilities.

Public-sector clients have included
the OECD, UN, Resources for the Future, many national governments,
and 13 US states. Lovins served in 1980-81 on the U.S. Department of
Energy's Energy Research Advisory Board, and in 1999-2001 and 2006-
08 on Defense Science Board task forces on military energy efficiency
and strategy. His visiting academic chairs most recently included a
visiting professorship in Stanford University's School of Engineering.
Since 1982, RMI has grown into a broad-based "think-and-do tank" with
more than 85 staff and an annual budget of some $13 million. RMI has
spun off five for-profit companies.

5. PERSONAL OPINION

Jorge: In my personal opinion Amory Lovins is a hardworking man with
wonderful ideas that have helped our world. He is conscious about
environmental issues and he tries to beat them, so we need to be as eco-
friendly as him.

Lorena: I think Amory Lovins can be a role model for everyone. He has
succeeded in making his dreams true, and he also has made the world a
better place to live in. We should do the same, even if we cant create
complex machines or devices, we are able to protect the environment
with little actions as recycling.