Energy Production and Consumption Patterns: An Examination of the State of Energy, Electricity, and Air Pollution in Lebanon

Abstract

Natural resources including energy are very scarce in Lebanon. As such, the country imports more than 90% of the fuel to satisfy its energy and electricity needs (EIA), primarily fossil fuel based. Furthermore, fuel consumption is forecasted to grow over the next decade, exacerbating the reliance on foreign volatile energy sources. This paper provides an overview of the energy sector in Lebanon and its impact on air pollution. Similarly, population growth is expected to continue on a steady and consistent rate, while resources remain limited. To that end, electricity consumption is disproportionate to population growth, indicative of severe inefficiencies and waste. Furthermore, the total energy consumption per household in Lebanon far exceeded its counterparts in the EU and the US. The country’s energy production market is severely volatile and unreliable, resulting in only a 50-70% coverage of electrical needs from public governmental sources. Consequently, current public electric generation capacity is not meeting con-sumption patterns, resulting in widespread power outages, blackouts, and a heavy reliance on the unregulated” mafia-like” private generation market. Furthermore, energy consumption patterns have been increasing over the past decade and are projected to continue to grow over the next 10 years. Correspondingly, emissions patterns follow a similar trend to energy consumption pat-terns. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated a 100% of the population is exposed to pollution levels above the recommended guidelines. Moreover, governmental failure to regulate and protect the environment has severely impacted the country’s natural resources and overall environment. As such, Lebanon was ranked 5th in the 2019 Pollution Index for Country, which examined air pollution in countries worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates the levels of air pollution in Leb-anon to be at a tipping point. Furthermore, air pollution is considered the greatest threat towards the health of Lebanese citizens. The proliferation of the transportation sector, unregulated energy sector, and private diesel generators are major contributors to air pollution in the beleaguered nation. To that end, the residential sector constituted a major contributor to this pollution, account-ing for more than 30% of total energy use in the country and its associated emissions. Most of this energy is provided via liquified petroleum gas (LPG) generated electricity, a major fossil fuel. This paper explores the state of energy and electricity in Lebanon and their implications on air pollution. It also examines the state of energy use within the residential sector as it relates to overall electricity and pollution patterns. Lastly, the paper provides a sampling of alternative solutions and mechanisms to combat the electricity crisis and air pollution problems. Keywords: Energy Consumption; Electricity Generation; Residential Energy Patterns; Air Pollution