Electricity use sensitivity to climate and climate change
- Tulane Univ., New Orleans, LA (United States). Mechanical Engineering Dept.
Climate and electrical energy use data for the state of Louisiana were analyzed to identify the sensitivity of energy use to various climate parameters and to provide an assessment of the potential impact of climate change on the energy sector. After adjusting for trend factors, energy use is primarily a function of the seasonal climate factors. In decreasing order of significance, these factors are temperature, wind speed, humidity, and precipitation. The functional dependence on temperature is shown to take on two distinctive forms. In cooler months the energy use vs. temperature slope is {minus}1%/C. In warm months this slope is +2%/C. The role of other climate parameters, including cross-correlation among parameters is also discussed. Linear statistical models are presented for winter and summer seasons. These models provide preliminary assessments of the potential impact of regional climate change on the energy sector. A second component of this paper deals with the problem of predicting regional climate change based on results from global models. The scale limitations of general circulation models, make them unreliable for regional impact assessments. A methodology is proposed whereby global climate change predictions which are averaged over large areas and times are related to regional and diurnal scales using a mesoscale atmospheric model.
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC03-90ER61010
- OSTI ID:
- 116281
- Journal Information:
- World Resource Review, Vol. 7, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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