2011 International Conference on Alternative Energy in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
- 278 -
Fig. 2. The history and projections for global energy resources through
2030 [5].
The uncertainties in oil supply and reserves have
brought doubt to the oil markets, and the fluctuating oil
prices and political stresses in hot spots on the earth are
symptomatic of these doubts. The concerns about the oil
supply are reasonable, given the findings of studies
regarding global oil reserves. Fig. 3 shows the findings of
a study on global oil reserves, which concluded that 38%
of supposed remaining oil reserves are actually
unrecoverable [7]. That fraction of the oil is deemed to be
unrecoverable mainly due to high operation cost and the
condition of the oil wells.
Fig. 3. Types of oil reserves and unrecoverable oil, based on official
statistics [7].
B. Environmental Impacts
Continuation of the extensive use of oil will consume
the reserves and lead to severe economic, social, political,
environmental, and health consequences. From the
environmental and health points of view, fossil fuels,
mainly oil and coal, contribute to severe damage to the
environment. Burning oil and coal releases high
percentages of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere,
which contributes to climate change and global warming.
This environmental phenomenon has resulted in an
increase in the average measured temperature of the
Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th
century [8].
In light of the environmental impacts and in an effort
to move toward a global emissions-reduction scheme,
Japan has sponsored the establishment of an international
agreement, the Kyoto Protocol. The protocol sets targets
for 37 industrialized countries and the European Union
for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it is
directly linked to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change [9].
C. Energy and life needs
Modernization and improvements in the quality of life
have caused the demand for energy to reach high levels.
Energy, especially electricity, touches on almost all
aspects of life in all developed and developing societies.
Anyone who has ever experienced a power blackout
knows how many parts of our lives are touched by this
resource. Therefore, it is important to keep the electricity
flowing in a sustainable manner.
The paper herein gives an overview of electrical
energy consumption per capita, residential electrical
energy consumption in the world as a whole, and
residential electrical energy consumption in five specific
countries, as shown in Fig. 4. The five countries were
selected based on their shares of electrical energy per
capita, which is directly related to individual incomes and
climate conditions, which can influence electricity
consumption. Consumption per capita is the common
measure of the energy demand. Per capita energy
consumption varies from country to country, and, within
a country, it varies from region to region, depending on
the level of urbanization. It is influenced by the growth in
household income, which allows people to buy devices
that use more energy, such as refrigerators, water heaters,
and air conditioning [10]. Also, the consumption of
energy in productive activities enables growth in income,
because workers and businesses are able to use power-
driven machinery, which makes them more productive.
Fig. 4. The percentage of residential electrical consumption nationally
and per capita consumption in the world and five countries, based on
official annual statistics [4].
It is clear from Fig. 4 that four countries, excluding
India, are above the world average in both per capita
electrical consumption and the percentage of the
consumption used by the residential sector. This can be
explained as being due to the variation in modernization
and lifestyle between India and the other four countries.
However, the residential sector share from the total
electricity consumed in Saudi Arabia is significant. This
is because Saudi Arabia is totally dependent on its major
national income energy resources (oil and gas) to produce
electricity [4]. Air conditioning is the suspected factor for
the immoderate electricity consumption by the
residential sector in Saudi Arabia [11]. To prove how the
residential sector is contributing to the extensive use of
electricity for air conditioning applications, one such
country, Kuwait, was selected to undergo further
analysis, as shown next.
