'Heatwave Created by Heatwave'... Increasing Coal Power Plants Due to Air Conditioner Use on Earth [Why&Next]

China's Electricity Demand Rises 31% Due to Cooling
Heatwaves Drive Up Energy That Causes More Heatwaves
How to Break the Vicious Cycle of Heat, Air Conditioners, and Thermal Power Generation

On the 7th (local time), when record-breaking heat continued, a citizen was walking in Las Vegas, USA. Photo by Yonhap News.

Last year, unprecedented heatwaves caused a sharp increase in global electricity demand. The cause was the increased operation of cooling devices to endure the heat. The increased electricity demand was met by carbon-emitting energy sources such as coal and gas. This has led to concerns that the heatwaves caused by global warming are creating a vicious cycle that expands thermal power generation and worsens the climate crisis.

China's electricity demand increased by 31% due to cooling

According to a recent report released on the 10th by the UK climate energy think tank Ember, electricity demand in China, the United States, and India significantly increased from April to September last year. These three countries are considered the three largest electricity markets, accounting for half of the world's electricity demand. During this period, China's electricity demand rose 7% compared to the previous year, showing the steepest increase. India’s demand increased by 6.1%, and the United States by 3.3%.

A significant portion of the increased electricity demand was due to cooling devices. In China, 31% of the increased electricity demand came from cooling needs to combat the heat. Looking at August last year, when extreme high temperatures were observed in China, electricity demand from various industries and general households increased by 4%. However, electricity demand due to cooling rose by nearly 5%. In September, the increase rate for industrial and household electricity demand was 4.4%, but with an additional 4.6% from cooling, the total electricity demand increase rate reached 9%.

In the United States, 37% of the increase in electricity demand was due to high temperatures. The rise in cooling demand became prominent starting in May last year when the heatwave began. Especially in June, when the heatwave peaked, electricity demand for cooling increased by 10.8% compared to the same month the previous year. Meanwhile, electricity demand in other sectors decreased by 1.3%. Industrial and household electricity usage excluding cooling was reduced compared to the previous year, but due to the heavy use of cooling devices, total electricity demand surged by 9.5%.

In India, about 19% of the increased electricity demand last year was due to cooling. From April to June, electricity demand rose 10.8% compared to the previous year, with 30% of the increase coming from air conditioners. Electricity demand from cooling devices is expected to increase further. According to data company Statista, India's air conditioner market is estimated to grow annually by 17.5% from this year through 2030. As India's middle class grows and urbanization progresses, the number of households owning air conditioners will increase, inevitably driving up electricity demand.

Increased energy causing heatwaves due to heatwaves

Reuters Yonhap News

The increased electricity demand was met by thermal power generation using coal or gas. This means that more energy causing heat was used because of the heat.

In China, electricity demand due to cooling increased by 36 TWh in September last year compared to the same month the previous year, while total electricity demand rose by 70 TWh. However, electricity supply from clean energy increased by only 24 TWh. The shortfall was met by expanding coal power generation by 44 TWh, which was more than a 10% increase compared to September of the previous year. China's coal power generation last year was 115 TWh, with 38.2% of the total coal power generation concentrated in September, when the heatwave occurred.

The United States showed a similar pattern. In June last year, electricity demand increased by 35 TWh compared to the same month the previous year. The cause was a 39 TWh increase in cooling demand. Although 23 TWh of this was met by clean energy sources, the remainder was supplied by gas (7 TWh) and coal (4 TWh). Gas power generation in June increased by 4.6% compared to the previous year, and coal by 6.4%. If the United States had not used coal power generation in June alone, it could have reduced coal power generation by 4% compared to the previous year in 2024.

India had the highest proportion of coal power generation. In May last year, when high temperatures appeared, 70% of the increased electricity demand in India was supplied by coal. The remaining 30% was supplied by electricity generated from gas, not clean energy.

The impact of heat on electricity demand is increasing. This is because the Earth's temperature is rising rapidly. Last year, the Earth's temperature was 1.55 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, marking the hottest year on record. China and the United States also experienced their hottest year in meteorological observation history last year. In China, prolonged heatwaves persisted in the densely populated southeastern region in August last year. In the United States, severe heatwaves approaching 44 degrees Celsius occurred in places like New Jersey and Washington D.C. India suffered extreme heatwaves from April to June, with the number of hot days in the northeast roughly doubling compared to usual.

Heat→ Air conditioners→ Breaking the vicious cycle of thermal power generation

Homeless people cooling off under the Yamuna River overpass in New Delhi, India, on May 31 last year Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The report advised that to break the vicious cycle of cooling devices and thermal power generation, the use of clean energy must be increased and electrical efficiency improved. This includes encouraging rooftop solar power generation to reduce dependence on thermal power and providing incentives for air conditioners that consume less electricity.

Costanza Rangelova, an electricity analyst at Ember, stated, "Relying on fossil fuels to meet the increasing cooling demand is a failing strategy," adding, "It worsens climate change and promotes more frequent and intense heatwaves."