39 ...while electrifying at scale is resource intensive... The full energy efficiency benefits of electrification, however, can only be yielded if the improvements at the end-user level are not lost through an increase in thermal power generation and its associated combustion losses. Thus, only if the increase in power generation is predominantly matched via renewables sources can the full benefits be realized. While electrification via renewables allows the highest levels of energy efficiency to be preserved throughout the combined production-consumption process, renewables are more resource- and material-intensive than conventional generation. Wind needs six to seven times the amount of concrete and three times the amount of steel per MW of capacity than a gas power plant needs. Similarly, solar needs significantly more copper, aluminium, glass and silicon, all of which are energy- intensive materials. The material intensity of solar and wind is then amplified by their lower load factor. For utility-scale solar, load factors tend to vary between 15% and 25%. This means that, to generate the same amount of electricity generated by 1 MW of gas capacity, you will need an average of 2-4 MW of solar capacity. This can be significantly improved with the use of batteries, but doing that adds an additional call on upfront capital and resources. See Fig. 18 The ratione of undergoing these heavy upfront capital investments lies in the significant energy efficiency benefits that electrification yields at the end-user level, See Call Out Box 3. Electric vehicles are three times more efficient than ICEs, and heat pumps are 300% more energy efficient than conventional gas boilers. Grid Clean Energy Supply Fossil Power Generation Fossil Fuel Supply 2,500 2,471 2,021 2015 2024 2025-2050 Overall Energy Supply Investments ($Billion, real 2025) Grid 1,700 2015 2024 Clean Energy Supply & Grids Investments ($Billion, real 2025) 1,325 555 2025-2050 Battery Storage Solar Wind Nuclear Figure 17