Reinventing Fire: Three Energy Gamechangers for China and the World

The report proposes a transition for China from fossil fuels to a system based on radical efficiency and renewable energy. It identifies three key areas for innovation: ultralighting and electrifying vehicles to eliminate oil dependence, using 'integrative design' to drastically reduce energy use in industry and buildings, and shifting toward a hybridized, distributed electric grid. The authors suggest these changes can be driven by profit and business innovation rather than just regulation.

• China faces critical energy security and environmental risks as the world's largest oil importer and the largest emitter of carbon dioxide, burning more coal than the rest of the world combined.
• To achieve oil-free mobility, China should prioritize ultralighting vehicles using materials like carbon-fiber composites, which can reduce total vehicle weight by 50–70% and energy needs by half to two-thirds.
• Logistics optimization in China offers significant energy savings because loading rates are one-third lower than in developed countries, partly due to a fragmented ownership structure where 40% of road freight is handled by single-truck carriers.
• The 'integrative design' approach, which optimizes whole systems rather than individual components, can lead to order-of-magnitude energy savings at lower costs; for example, a carpet factory in Shanghai reduced pumping power by at least 86% through this method.
• In the building sector, integrative design and proper retrofit sequencing can save 40–70% of energy in existing commercial buildings, with costs often repaid within a few years.
• A hybridized, distributed grid model is presented as preferable to centralized models due to lower risks across financial, operational, security, climate, water, fuel, health, and public acceptance categories.
• RMI's investigation into the United States suggests that 'reinventing fire' could support a 158%-bigger economy by 2050, save $5 trillion in net present value, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 80% while eliminating coal and oil.

APA

Lovins, A. B., & Creyts, J. C. (2013). Reinventing Fire: Three Energy Gamechangers for China and the World. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2014-08_ReinventingFire-ThreeEnergyGamechangersforChinaandtheWorld.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B., and Jon C. Creyts. Reinventing Fire: Three Energy Gamechangers for China and the World. RMI, 2013. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2014-08_ReinventingFire-ThreeEnergyGamechangersforChinaandtheWorld.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |last2=Creyts |first2=Jon C. |title=Reinventing Fire: Three Energy Gamechangers for China and the World |publisher=RMI |date=15 November 2013 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2014-08_ReinventingFire-ThreeEnergyGamechangersforChinaandtheWorld.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lovins2013reinventing, author = {Lovins, Amory B. and Creyts, Jon C.}, title = {{Reinventing Fire: Three Energy Gamechangers for China and the World}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2014-08_ReinventingFire-ThreeEnergyGamechangersforChinaandtheWorld.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }