Abstract
In this work, energy poverty in the Canary Islands is analysed, and a new indicator to measure it is proposed. In the first place, a quantitative analysis has been conducted using different income-based indicators and contrasting the results with the Spanish situation during the 2006–2016 period. The archipelago presents some specific characteristics (high poverty rates combined with low energy consumption) that make necessary the introduction of an alternative, more robust indicator than those existing in the literature. Based on a combination of different income-based indicators, a new one is proposed, named “Compound Energy Poverty Indicator” (CEPI). The CEPI reveals the special features of the Canaries consistent with their regional singularities, as recommended by the European Union energy policies. The evolution of this indicator shows the greater impact of the 2008 economic crisis on the Canary Islands compared to Spain, almost reaching the Spanish energy poverty rates at the end of the period (12.5 versus 11.49). Moreover, the average growth rate from 2006 to 2016 (13.0%) results very high in comparison with the national 2.6%. The development of a systematic and coordinated strategy in the Canaries to assess the energy poverty incidence would not be possible without a proper, accurate indicator.
Highlights
The first studies on fuel poverty were developed at the end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s in the United Kingdom, defining the concept as the inability to afford adequate warmth at home [1,2].Since this problem has become a focus for social policies with many lessons learnt nowadays, such us the recognition of fuel prices and low incomes as constituent factors and energy inefficiency of households as the final real cause [3]
Energy poverty has often been defined as a lack of access to modern energy services—which mostly occurs in developing countries—whereas fuel poverty focuses on the issues of affordability, something that occurs mostly in relatively wealthy countries [5]
An analysis was conducted in which the different indicators for poverty and energy poverty were combined to obtain relevant information in order to understand ehold
Summary
The first studies on fuel poverty were developed at the end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s in the United Kingdom, defining the concept as the inability to afford adequate warmth at home [1,2]. The first special characteristic is its geographical isolation (2000 km from the Spanish mainland and 100 km from the Moroccan coast, see Figure 1) For this reason, the archipelago is more energy dependent than Spain, affecting its economic development (in 2016, the energy dependence reached 98.6% in the Canary Islands, 25% more than Spain) [10,11]. A situation that the economic crisis, at least during the hardest years, continued to worsen, as the results of the “at risk of poverty or social exclusion indicator” (AROPE) has exposed [13] All of these demarcate a situation in which the results of the indicators for the Canary Islands are less robust and where distinguishing between poverty and energy poverty is more complicated than doing so in Spain.
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