International. Last week marked World Energy Efficiency Day, a celebration that seeks to optimize the use of this resource, generate a higher quality of life for people, while reducing pollution levels, in favor of the conservation of the environment.
On March 5, a space was reopened to reflect and measure the impact of human activity on nature, from the perspective of energy consumption. This global remembrance arose in 1998, when the first International Conference on Energy Efficiency was held in Austria, where the importance of reducing the generation of electricity from fossil fuels was raised because it contributed, and still does, to the generation of pollution and greenhouse gases on the planet.
How and why energy efficiency is measured
The most commonly used ways we have, today, to measure energy efficiency are ISO 50001 and the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).
The first, according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) aims to "facilitate organizations to establish the systems and processes necessary to improve their energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy use and consumption" Ensuring that the implementation of this standard helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions "and other related environmental impacts, as well as energy costs through systematic energy management."
The second arises from the publication in 1995 of the North American Energy Verification and Measurement Protocol, from where a block of various international organizations, led by the United States Department of Energy, brings out the document that would become the standard of energy measurement and verification in various territories.
Both cases contribute to a more efficient use of available energy sources. In the case of the IPMVP, it indicates four options to determine the possible savings to consumption. While ISO 50001 implies an energy management system model where energy policy, energy planning, implementation and operation are verified, measured, analyzed and audited, among others, for continuous improvement.
Environmental concern and future prospects
However, oil, followed by coal, is still the non-renewable resource that leads as a raw material for power generation, accounting for around 30% of global demand. The great disadvantage of this, in addition to its scarcity in the future, is that its use produces CO2, contributing to pollution and global warming.
In contrast, according to data from the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Global Energy Review 2021, in 2020 oil experienced its biggest ever demand drop reaching 8% and global coal demand decreased by 4%, while the use of renewables increased by 3%. But it is undeniable that these data continue to be influenced by the dynamics that the Covid 19 pandemic generated at a global level, where the confinement and the decrease in tourist and commercial mobility stand out.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the use of air conditioners and electric fans represents 10% of global energy consumption and an increase in demand for these products is expected. Within this it is highlighted that mandatory energy performance standards, for efficiency improvements, could halve the energy consumption of air conditioning systems.
By way of closure, beyond a normalization of human activity, it is necessary an energy supply that is produced from renewable resources, but also an efficient energy use, which allows human comfort and environmental conservation. For example, a great goal in this regard is that the planet's energy demand does not affect the fulfillment of the goals of the Paris Agreement and, rather, that energy sources can be used massively and efficiently that help limit global warming to 1.5ºC.
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