By Aisi Aiti
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, governments around the world enacted lockdown measures aimed at curtailing the spread of the disease. These measures affected economic activities in a number of sectors; including industries, transportation, banking and others. Daily operations were either halted or reduced with many having to work from home. These disruptions have altered our way of life and also the global usage of resources including energy.
Industrial Use
Early in the lockdown, the decrease in industrial and economic activities meant that there was a reduction in the amount of energy needed globally. In April, the United States recorded its lowest demand for energy in 16 years. In Europe, even after the easing of lockdown measures, electricity demand is yet to recover to pre-COVID levels. In July, the demand was still 5 per cent below 2019 levels, in Italy, the difference is over 10 per cent. In China, the first country to enter lockdown, electricity demand reduced in the first few months of the lockdown. But the easing of lockdown measures has led to recovery, with energy demand currently higher than 2019 levels. The IEA has projected a 6 per cent decrease in global energy use for 2020.
Residential Use
While industrial demand reduced drastically, the shelter in place measures meant that residential demand increased also. With more people working from home, schools closed and whole households sheltered, the need for energy for residential uses skyrocketed. In New York City following the stay-at-home orders, average weekday residential electricity demand increased by as much as 23 per cent, while weekend use increased by about 10 per cent in apartments.
In countries with energy deficit and supply challenges such as Nigeria, while overall demand decreased, the supplied energy still can not carter for residential demand which increased marginally. Consumers in these countries have had to rely on back us sources to supply their energy especially for those working from home. The result, while pollution reduced in other countries due to a decrease in activity and power generation, ambient pollution increased as fossil fuel generators roared to life in residential areas daily. The increased use of generator usage that increases susceptibility to long-term respiratory illnesses such as the COVID-19.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is publishing a report that contains data about electricity use through the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. The report is to be updated on the 15th of September with data through August. The global decrease in energy demand through the pandemic has however led to an important advantage, being an anticipated global decrease in yearly carbon emissions due to restrictions on economic activities, caused by the pandemic.
Do you think you use more energy now than you did before the pandemic? Let us know via Facebook/Twitter @Nigeria Electricity Hub.