Demand
Before
We have an insatiable hunger for electricity. Our homes are mostly energy inefficient and our work places are built for appearance not for efficiency so often have vast spaces such as tall ceilings which are heated and cooled unnecessarily. The American dream drives people to build thousands of huge homes to house only a few people putting an ever increasing demand for more and more electricity. We have hundreds of types of gadgets each with its own low voltage transformer with significant power loss and we still have our buildings full of high energy incandescent light bulbs. Lights are left on inside and outside buildings and thermostats keep vacant rooms heated and cooled, and our home entertainment systems, computers, printers, kitchen appliances, and washers and dryers all increase the demand.
After
Nutopia societies are built starting with a clean slate so none of the inefficient or high demand characteristics of current building techniques are used. Everything is carefully designed to make sure that the lowest possible demand for electricity is achieved. Homes are right-sized and do not have superfluous living spaces or rooms that are too spacious for the needs of its occupants. Work places are built to serve the needs of those that work there, not to be grandiose because there are no customers or businesses to impress. Buildings are created using all energy efficient materials, and home automation devices such as room thermostats and heat sensors keep the demand for heating and cooling using electricity low. Only low energy light bulbs are used and home automation means that electrical devices such as lights and display screens are turned off when not in use. All low power devices are supplied with actual voltage requirements instead of step down transformers to eliminate power loss. There are no kitchen appliances such as ovens, ranges, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, or freezers, no washers and dryers, no home entertainment systems, computers, or printers, only low power display screens are the main electrical devices in homes.
Delivery
Before
Electricity is delivered to communities over a network of highly inefficient cables, transformers, and sub stations, typically using raised cables supported by wooden poles. The over ground cable network covers the landscape in rural areas and thousands of ugly poles and hung cables litter our streets in towns and cities. The electricity network is very susceptible to extreme weather and it is very common for towns, cities, or entire regions to lose power for days and sometimes weeks because of wind, snow, or ice storms bringing down branches, cables and poles. Regular maintenance is required on the above ground network of cables, poles, and transformers because they are all exposed to the elements.
After
In Nutopia electricity is delivered entirely using the Under Ground Network. All buildings are connected to the Under Ground Network so there are no cables above ground. None of the electricity network is exposed to the weather so there is no need for regular maintenance and the power is never lost due to extreme weather events.
Generation
Before
The majority of the world's electricity comes from coal burning power stations which have high CO2 emissions. More recently there has been a move towards natural gas power stations which do have 50% fewer emissions but there is a significant negative environmental impact due to the fracking techniques which are used to extract the gas from the Earth. Nuclear plants have a history of environmental problems which is why they are less popular today. Wind power is unpopular because it requires huge amounts of land to generate even a fraction of the electricity we use today and local residents do not want to see or hear the massive turbines, and the wind is not always blowing. Solar again needs massive amounts of land to make any significant impact and solar requires power saving battery infrastructure due to the fact that the sun is not always shining. All modern day power plants require regular maintenance because they are all exposed to the weather, and they only have a lifespan of decades so need to be replaced over and over again. They also need to be located near rivers, where the wind blows, or the sun shines, or they need transportation infrastructure to provide fuel such as coal, gas and oil to the power plants.
After
Nutopia uses the most reliable, consistent, and longest lasting energy source available on Earth. The electricity power generation from Under Ground Thermal Power Plants will continue to provide energy for thousands of years, because the heat from the Earth's core will still be there when our own sun has died, and because the power plants are not exposed to the elements. The power plants are closed systems so are low maintenance and once they are up and running they require very little manpower to operate. These power plants can be set up literally anywhere in the world, they require no transportation of fuel, and they have zero CO2 emissions.
