Russo M A, Ruivo L, Carvalho D, Martins N, Monteiro A
CESAM and Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
CICECO and Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
Energy Policy. 2021 Dec;159:112644. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112644. Epub 2021 Oct 14.
This study explores different energy consumption vectors during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal. Most of the workforce started working from home and resource consumption significantly shifted towards the domestic sector. The ensuing confinement protocols caused a shift in everyday life, which in turn significantly altered the energy supply and demand landscape. This event, although catastrophic in terms of loss of human life and economic development, can provide us with valuable data to study the potential of new strategies to achieve EU 2050 Energy goals. It was investigated whether the pandemic has opened a path and provided us with a partial answer to decarbonization in the form of home office practices as a possible energy efficiency measure. The present study shows that, in Portugal, there was a 15.7% reduction of primary energy consumption (accounting for electricity, natural gas and transport fuels) compared to 2019. The data suggest that actions targeting reduced mobility, such as home office practices and the decentralization of the workforce, could be a relevant energy efficiency measure.
本研究探讨了葡萄牙新冠疫情大流行第一年期间不同的能源消耗载体。大多数劳动力开始居家办公，资源消耗显著转向家庭部门。随之而来的封锁措施导致了日常生活的转变，进而极大地改变了能源供需格局。这一事件虽然在人类生命损失和经济发展方面具有灾难性，但可以为我们提供宝贵的数据，以研究实现欧盟2050年能源目标的新战略的潜力。研究调查了疫情大流行是否开辟了一条道路，并以居家办公这种可能的能源效率措施的形式，为我们提供了关于脱碳的部分答案。本研究表明，在葡萄牙，与2019年相比，一次能源消耗（包括电力、天然气和运输燃料）减少了15.7%。数据表明，针对减少出行的行动，如居家办公和劳动力分散化，可能是一项相关的能源效率措施。
