Open AccessINFLUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ELECTRICITY DEMAND. CASE STUDY IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY
Author(s) -
Kepa Solaun,
Emilio Cerdá Tena
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
dyna
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.177
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1989-1490
pISSN - 0012-7361
DOI - 10.6036/9344
Subject(s) - electricity demand , climate change , electricity , context (archaeology) , natural resource economics , air conditioning , energy demand , environmental science , economics , electricity generation , geography , engineering , power (physics) , mechanical engineering , ecology , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , electrical engineering , biology
This article analyzes the sensitivity of electricity demand by sector to temperature in the Basque Country, within the context of climate change. To do so, it contrasts demand data by sector and province with the evolution of the thermal distance on cold and warm days with respect to established thresholds. Results show that the residential sector is the most sensitive to these changes, and future demand is projected according to multiple climate change scenarios. Due to the greater statistical significance of temperature differences on cold days, and the current limited use of air conditioning, it is estimated that residential demand could fall by as much as 4%. Further research is needed to understand how demand may evolve as the climate changes, as well as the influence that more widespread use of air conditioning might have, particularly given the increasing importance electricity is expected to have compared to other energy sources in the residential sector.