Energy rationing primarily involves measures that are designed to force
energy conservation
Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavior to use less service (f ...
as an alternative to
price mechanism
In economics, a price mechanism is the manner in which the profits of goods or services affects the supply and demand of goods and services, principally by the price elasticity of demand. A price mechanism affects both buyer and seller who negot ...
s in
energy markets. Because of its economic consequences energy rationing is used as method of last resort, often at times of emergency such as during an
energy crisis
An energy crisis or energy shortage is any significant bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In literature, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, in particular, those that supply n ...
.
Forms
Examples of energy
rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...
include fuel rationing and the use of ration books or
ration stamp
A ration stamp, ration coupon or ration card is a stamp or card issued by a government to allow the holder to obtain food or other commodities that are in short supply during wartime or in other emergency situations when rationing is in fo ...
s to restrict personal consumption. Energy rationing may include penalties such as
surcharges and disconnection from electrical supply for those who choose not to reduce their demand voluntarily.
Load shedding is a common form of energy rationing used when
electricity market
In a broad sense, an electricity market is a system that facilitates the exchange of electricity-related goods and services. During more than a century of evolution of the electric power industry, the economics of the electricity markets had u ...
s cannot keep up to demand, particularly
peak demand
Peak demand on an electrical grid is simply the highest electrical power demand that has occurred over a specified time period (Gönen 2008). Peak demand is typically characterized as annual, daily or seasonal and has the unit of power.
Peak dem ...
. Limited electrical supply from
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many p ...
s at times of drought or after
infrastructure is damaged, can lead authorities to implement rationing.
Brazil was forced to implement energy rationing due to drought in 2001.
Reducing demand in this way aims to avoid forced
power outage
A power outage (also called a powercut, a power out, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, or a blackout) is the loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user.
There are many causes of power failures in an electrici ...
s which are more disruptive than rationing.
is an energy rationing system designed to enable nations to reduce their
emissions of greenhouse gases along with their use of oil, gas and coal, and to ensure fair access to energy for all.
Issues
One issue with energy rationing is the cost of setting up rationing schemes. Another criticism is that energy rationing schemes are unworkable and face many practical problems including consumer lawsuits.
Due to the general disdain for restrictions that interfere with existing personal freedoms, such as
ecotax
An environmental tax, ecotax (short for ecological taxation), or green tax is a tax levied on activities which are considered to be harmful to the environment and is intended to promote environmentally friendly activities via economic incentives. ...
es and
carbon rationing, energy rationing is not favoured by policy makers to
mitigate global warming
Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels bur ...
.
Peak oil
As oil becomes more scarce due to
oil depletion countries that have reserve currencies will prefer to buy oil rather than ration it. The
Oil Depletion Protocol is form of energy rationing that was developed by
Richard Heinberg to ensure that price rationing does not price out poorer countries.
See also
*
Energy descent
*
Food rationing
*
Rolling blackout
A rolling blackout, also referred to as rota or rotational load shedding, rota disconnection, feeder rotation, or a rotating outage, is an intentionally engineered electrical power shutdown in which electricity delivery is stopped for non-overl ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Energy Rationing
Energy economics
Electric power distribution
Rationing