2011 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
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Abstract
--The increasing use of energy in the world has
raised worries over supply difficulties and environmental
impacts. This paper presents a general review of global
energy consumption, with emphasis on factors that affect
demand. Electricity generation is an important consumer of
energy resources. Electricity consumption per capita and by
the residential sector were compared for selected countries
and the average worldwide. The analysis indicated that
there is a direct relationship between residential
consumption and consumption per capita. Weather was also
found to be a significant factor for energy use. Kuwait,
which is a hot-climate country, was selected for further
analysis. This showed that air conditioning accounts for
69.5% of the total electricity consumed at the peak time on a
hot summer day; in general, residential cooling consumes
58.4 % of total delivered electrical energy.
Index Terms
--Air Conditioning, Energy Resources,
Electricity, Hot Climate.
I. W
ORLD ENERGY SITUATION
A
ND CONSUMPTION CONSEQUENCES
A. World Energy Use
The rapidly increasing use of energy in the world has
caused concern about supply difficulties and serious
environmental impacts. Fossil fuels (i.e., coal, oil, and
gas) and nuclear energy are the major sources of energy,
followed by renewable sources. Global energy
consumption is shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. Global Energy Consumption, based on official statistics [1].
As can be seen in Fig. 1, there is a high reliance on
fossil fuels. This can be linked to the thermal efficiency
and
flexibility of use, which has made fossil fuels seemingly
irreplaceable in terms of overall efficiency and
performance for myriad technologies and important
applications. Their use in automobiles, aviation,
electricity generation, and other services highlight the
linkage between energy services and quality of life.
B. Energy Demand and Uncertainties in Primary Energy
Resources
The global demand for energy generally increases as
the human population, urbanization, and modernization
increase. The demand is projected to rise sharply over the
coming years because of the expected increase in
population. The world population, which is about 6.5
billion, is expected to double by the middle of the current
century [2]. Oil is the main source of energy among all
energy sources. Official statistics show that oil is used to
produce about 35% of the world energy demand [3].
Because of the extensive usage of oil, a question has
arisen as whether the oil resources can be sustained. In
the developing economies, the demand for oil will rise
because of consumption in the industrial, residential, and
services sectors [4].
It is important to acknowledge that the demand for oil
will continue to increase unless drastic changes are made;
Fig. 2 shows the history and projections for the demand
for oil and other global energy resources in million ton
[5]. From an economic point of view, the oil industry is a
profitable sector for some corporations and governments,
and taxes from oil are a major source of income for about
90 governments [6]. Therefore, any interruption in oil
supply and processing industries will impact the
economic and social aspects of the affected countries.
More specifically, any effect on large consumers, such as
electricity generation plants, will be enough to interrupt
most of the economic activities in any country. A
complicated dynamic exists between securing our
communities’ reserves, economi
es, and comfort and
responding responsibly to the consequences that will
result from the further consumption of oil reserves.
a Review of Global Energy Consumption and
Significant Factors Affecting the Consumption
in Hot Climates
H. Al-Mutairi, J. Dewsbury,and G. F. Lane-Serff
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester,
Sackville Street, Manchester, M13 9PL, (
United Kingdom
)
