Decarbonizing the energy supply one pandemic at a time

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.

Automated summary

The study explores different energy consumption patterns during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal, with a focus on the shift towards domestic sector consumption and the impact on energy supply and demand landscape. It suggests that actions targeting reduced mobility, such as home office practices and the decentralization of the workforce, could be relevant energy efficiency measures. The data show a 15.7% reduction in primary energy consumption compared to 2019 in Portugal, indicating the potential for new strategies to achieve EU 2050 Energy goals.