03-11-2020, 01:13 PM
There have been many studies on the Juneau incident where electricity rates went up about 5x without warning due to an avalanche cutting of access to cheap hydroelectric power. (ironically, putting their electricity cost about the same as what we pay in Puna).
The result was that consumption dropped 25-30% almost immediately. That would have been quite the carbon footprint savings if the missing hydro power wasn't being supplied by diesel, but the effect on consumption was the relevant data point.
As soon as prices returned to normal, so did the consumption.
https://www.aceee.org/files/proceedings/...s/2131.pdf
Of course if there is a mass die-off of human beings, consumption after this emergency may not return to what it was before. Or will it? If oil prices stay in the gutter survivors may respond by buying even larger SUVs.
The result was that consumption dropped 25-30% almost immediately. That would have been quite the carbon footprint savings if the missing hydro power wasn't being supplied by diesel, but the effect on consumption was the relevant data point.
As soon as prices returned to normal, so did the consumption.
https://www.aceee.org/files/proceedings/...s/2131.pdf
Of course if there is a mass die-off of human beings, consumption after this emergency may not return to what it was before. Or will it? If oil prices stay in the gutter survivors may respond by buying even larger SUVs.