Today we take for granted many activities and habits linked to energy use: turning on the light when we get home, opening the fridge to get something to eat, boiling water in the kettle to make tea, checking if the washing machine has finished its cycle and then maybe turning on the TV or computer to watch the latest TV series. But is it the same everywhere? No. On a global level, according to World Bank data, about 13% of the population (940 million people) still don’t have access to electricity. The grid feeds a certain amount of energy into every home, public building and business. It depends on the country’s willingness to purchase and produce the energy and above all, on the readiness of the individual to pay for it. For this reason, several levels or tiers of consumption have been defined which permit access to certain services. Some countries and some people have access to the highest level, others to the lowest, and some not even that. Let’s look at them in detail. Electricity access is divided into tiers Household appliances require different amounts of power to operate. A light bulb needs less energy to function than a fridge or washing machine does, and as a result, consumes less over time. We take for granted that if we can access electricity from the grid, we can power any device that we own – but that’s not the case. The electricity supplied to a home or to a public facility is quantified according to levels – or tiers – of power capacity, which start from the lowest and gradually increase the amount of energy available to the consumer. There are 5 tiers: Tier 1. This is the lowest level, and provides energy for an average annual consumption of 22 kWh per household. In concrete terms, this is barely enough to switch on a few lightbulbs, charge a phone or turn on a radio; Tier 2. This covers ten times the consumption of level 1, providing for an annual use of 224 kWh per household. It enables the operation of general lighting, air circulation systems and even a television; Tier 3. At this level, we find the first domestic appliances, such as a washing machine, and some kitchen appliances, like a blender. The amount of available energy allows a maximum consumption of 696 kWh; Tier 4. You need to be at the fourth level to have a fridge or hot water. It means having a capacity of around 1,800 kWh per year, an energy level which many developing countries cannot access. Yet no one in western countries would consider a dwelling to be habitable without a fridge or hot water. Tier 5. At the fifth level, families have enough electricity to enjoy general lighting and continuous use of high-power domestic appliances such as refrigeration, air conditioning and possibly a kitchen. All industrialized countries are at Tier 5. But the situation around the rest of the world is more complex and varied. This is why we need to accelerate the spread of renewables One of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which are part of the 2030 Agenda, is to guarantee energy access to the countries who are without it today, if possible through clean, affordable energy. However, at the current rate, only 92% of the global population will have access to electricity in 2030, leaving 670 million people without power. So in order to honor the commitments of the UN’s 2030 Agenda and guarantee energy access for all, we need to accelerate the development of renewables. This is will reduce the impact of climate change as well as the dependence of individual nations on imported fossil fuels, protecting them from energy market crises.
