3758 x 4 = 15, 032 kWh / per year
16,040 – 15,032 = 1008 / two years
1008 / 2 = 504 kWh / per year
My family’s electricity consumption was 2376kWh in 2005, therefore:
8232 – 2376 = 5856 / two years
5856 / 2 = 2928 kWh / per year
As you can see from the calculations above and graph on the next page, my family has a much higher annual increase of electricity consumption than a common Portuguese family. Clearly, such a high increase in my family’s consumption is not good, because after a few years, my family’s electricity consumption will be equal to or higher than the average Portuguese electricity consumption. So, overall, we can say that although my family consumes less than an average Portuguese family, we have a higher annual increase of electricity consumption, which in a few years, will result to giving my family higher electricity consumption.
Below, I have included a graph containing the electricity consumption for several 1st world countries , and my own of the year 2002. By looking at the graph, you can see that my family’s bar is the lowest of all. Also, we can see that my family’s electricity consumption would only be equal to the highest fuel consumption (Sweden) if I multiplied the value by seven.
However, when we compare my family’s electricity consumption to third world countries, results are different. As you can see from the graph below, my family consumes the most electricity per year when compared to third world countries. The graph shows that you would have to multiply Ethiopia’s electricity consumption (the lowest) by 81 to be equal to my family’s. Although my family lives in a first world country, it shows that my family needs to reduce the amount of electricity we consume. So, overall, my family consumes less electricity than what is normal in both national and international perspectives when regarding first world countries, but more electricity when regarding third world countries. For this reason, it is still possible to reduce our utilization of electricity, for both economic and environmental terms.
Impacts: Societal, Ethical & Moral:
Before deciding whether my family is consuming too much fuel, it is important to know the effects of consuming excessive electricity. One of the societal impacts is global warming. Global warming has been increasing in the past few years due to the increase in the production of carbon dioxide, among other gases, and fossil fuels. This can also result to pollution and acid rain, which damages our environment, destroys our ecosystems and our natural resources. Not only that, but our sea levels and rainfall can also be affected. Moreover, in terms of health, the by products released from the combustion of fossil fuels are extremely dangerous, and could form respiratory and cardiac diseases, among other disabilities. When referring to our economy, we can see that people will start having money problems as not only will the prices for electricity increase but salaries have been lowered, due to the fact that our natural resources are running out because we are using them excessively.
When referring to the moral aspects of this situation, humans must be aware of the great difference between what they want and what they need. Human greed is currently increasing, and takes over people’s decisions and causes them to act without bearing in mind the consequences of their actions. Portugal is supplied with energy from only one company: EDP. EDP mainly uses coal to generate electricity. Because the company is aware of the disadvantages of coal burning, it is starting to use renewable energy sources, primarily hydropower and wind power. These methods are much more efficient as they do not pollute the environment with sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxide, like coal burning does. Coal, a fossil fuel, is not a renewable source of energy, but it is one which Portugal uses, which will soon run out. The disadvantages of coal burning, which I have stated above, show that electricity should not be produced through it for the sake of our environment. When knowing how much damage the burning of coal does to our environment, it is unethical to continue utilizing it, as we are contributing to the extinction of a vital natural resource. If all the countries in the world were able to decrease their utilization of fossil fuels, then not only would it last longer but there would be fewer environmental problems. Several countries in the world are already acting towards this, and begun using renewable energy sources, and recently, Portugal has also realised this. By doing this, we will be acting morally and ethically as we will contribute positively to the environment’s condition.
Potential Alternatives:
Fortunately, Portugal has good conditions to use various sources of energy. As you can see on the pie chart below, currently, Portugal uses three sources to produce energy.
35% of the energy generated in Portugal is by using hydropower, also known as wind power, which is “the conversion of wind energy into more useful forms, using electricity using wind turbines” This form of energy is considered to be very beneficial to a country like Portugal, because it is one where wind is common. Because the Portuguese government has already started to implement turbines, and according to the pie chart above, we can see that action is being taken. Hydropower is also beneficial since it is a renewable energy source which does not increase the greenhouse effect. When referring to the costs of energy sources, hydropower has shown to be less expensive than coal, oil and natural gases when they are used to produce energy.
Another renewable energy which Portugal could use is hydroelectricity. Most hydroelectric power is known to come from “the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator” Because Portugal is surrounded by water, this energy source could be extremely beneficial, as although it may be expensive to build a hydroelectric plant, but once it has been constructed, it will have a better effect on our environment than most power plants have. Also, due to the few personnel needed, labour costs will be low. On the other hand, there are disadvantages related to the use of hydroelectric power, such as the production of substances like methane and carbon dioxide in excess, which damages our surroundings. Also, while constructing this type of power plant, ecosystems and water are endangered, and many people have had to move from their homes because the hydroelectric power interfered.
Another alternative energy source is solar panels. Portugal is known for its sun and hot seasons, and so it would be easy to absorb the light of the sun and transform it into energy using solar panels. Solar power is quite a recent energy source, and for this reason, many of its disadvantages are unknown. Also, due to the fact that it is a recent discovery, it is very expensive to use solar power as one of our main energy sources, because it produces only a little bit of energy for a large amount of money. Nevertheless, solar power can still be considered an effective energy source if it is used correctly, as it can be used for heating, and household and domestic uses. The Portuguese government also thinks that solar power is efficient, as “the largest solar panel in the world is under construction in the south of Portugal… it will produce electricity for 21,000 households”.
For this reason, if after a few years solar power is still considered a good energy source and has proven to be cost-effective then I think our country should use solar energy more. But until then, I think wind power would be a good alternative for Portugal.
Also, we must bear in mind that potential alternatives not only consist of changing our country’s energy sources, but also of the small personal things which each individual could do to help reduce the amount of electricity we consume. At home, we could turn off appliances such as radios, television, light and computers when they are not being used. The use of hot water is known to be one of the main causes of high electricity consumption, and if we used low-flow shower heads and toilets during the winter, we would be able to conserve both our water and electricity. Moreover, we could insulate our walls to reduce the use of indoor heating. Using CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs) would be a good solution too, as they release less heat and still provide the same amount of lighting as an incandescent light bulb. Although these things may seem small, they can make a big difference in the amount of electricity we consume as they tend to be ignored or forgotten.
Limitations of Study:
The limitations of my study were mostly caused during the beginning of my essay, particularly when I was calculating my family fuel consumption. As mentioned earlier, I collected data which only showed two months of my family’s electricity consumption, and so I had to multiply this data by six in order to obtain the amount my family consumes per year. This was extremely inaccurate as the amount kWh used in two months does not necessarily have to be equal for every other month of the year. It would have been much more accurate if I had gathered the electricity bills from each month of the year to find out my yearly consumption, but unfortunately, I did not do so. Logically, there are months where my family consumes more electricity than usual, such as during wintertime, because since it is cold, we need to heat the house. There are also months where my family consumes less electricity than usual, such as during summertime, because since the weather is warmer, we require less electricity. In addition, due to the long holidays, there tends to be less people living in my house during summertime as we leave the country to travel, which shows that my family fuel consumption may have been lower if I had included data from the summertime. As you can see, the amount of electricity my family consumes varies mostly according to the seasons, and because of this my calculations are considered imprecise. The fact that my family electricity consumption was retrieved from springtime, a relatively warm season in Portugal, may explain why my yearly consumption was considered low when compared to other countries. If I had used data from wintertime, it is possible that my yearly consumption would be higher. But neither can be considered as accurate as gathering data from a whole year would be.
Moreover, another limitation of my study is the statistics for other countries found online. Although I feel that the sources I used were trustworthy, it would have been better if I had used books and other resources to gather data instead of merely looking at the internet. However, I made the mistake of using two different sources (IAEA and UNECE) to gather data, because each association contains different statistics for each country, and using two different sources may have made my comparisons more inaccurate. However, more importantly, the fact that I used different years for each of my comparisons directly affects my conclusion. To speak more specifically, I can refer to each one of my comparisons: for my first comparison, which was between my family consumption and the consumption of an average Portuguese family, it can be said that the comparison was extremely inaccurate, primarily because it consisted of data from different years: 2002 and 2007. Although it was proven that each year our electricity consumption increases, it still shows an inaccuracy because if I had gathered data from the same year, my results would have been different. For my second comparison, which was comparing the annual increase in electricity consumption, it can be said that the comparison and my conclusion from it was imprecise, as I concluded that my family’s electricity consumption increases faster than that of an ordinary Portuguese family. This conclusion may have been different if I had discovered the annual increase from the same time, not with a five year difference. If I had discovered the annual increase for an average Portuguese family around the same time as mine (2005 – 2007), then it is possible that there wouldn’t be such a big difference. Also, I should have discovered the annual increase using data from 2006 to 2007, not 2005 to 2007, as I had to divide the result by two to find out the annual increase. For my third and fourth comparison, which was comparing my family fuel consumption to other countries, it can be considered imprecise as the information I obtained about these countries was from a different time than my family fuel. All of these factors show that my conclusions can be considered misleading, but unfortunately, this was the best I could acquire.
Conclusion & Informed personal opinion:
In the early stages of my essay I discovered that my family consumes less electricity on a yearly basis than first world countries, including my home country Portugal, but more electricity than third world countries. From this, I can answer the main question of this essay: I am not consuming too much fuel. However, that does not mean that my family should not attempt to reduce our electricity consumption.
In my personal opinion, I feel that it is more important for individuals to take action than to improve the way electricity is consumed in Portugal. It is very important that our society is aware of the problems caused by consuming excessive electricity, but more importantly to know the difference between what they want and what they need. I am aware that all the people of the world take electricity for granted and therefore abuse of it, and so campaigns and associations should be made to inform the youth of how to live without depending on electricity. The people of Portugal also need to be taught how electricity is generated, and be aware that Portugal’s energy sources, such as fossil fuels, are running out. By teaching people how to use electricity correctly and competently, not only will they make better use of it, but they will also understand that every time a television is left on without a viewer, and every time a light is on in an empty room, fuel is being unnecessarily wasted.
Word Count: 2,985
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