Impacts of Weather in Electricity Consumption in Sacramento Area - Essay Example

Research Proposal: Impacts of weather in electric consumption in the Sacramento area Background ment of the Nature of Problem) For proper planning of future investments in the energy generation sector, policymakers require forecasts of electricity demand. The demand for electricity consumption in California has more than quadrupled since 1960. There are various factors, which are contributing to the increased energy consumption in California such as the uncertain regulatory environment, swift population growth, and economic growth.

Apart from that, climatic change is another factor, which can also influence the electric consumption thereby, affecting the long term planning of electricity supply. Since climatic changes such as lower heating demand and higher cooling demand can directly influence the energy consumption in any economy therefore, this research study will evaluate its effects on energy consumption in Sacramento, California. This research will also assist the policy makers to analyze the extent to which the weather conditions can affect the energy consumption in Sacramento.

Therefore, it will be very useful to meet the challenge of energy consumption demands in Sacramento. After conducting this research study, the answers to various questions will be achieved such as, what is the impact of weather conditions on electricity consumption? What are the affects of global warming on electricity consumption? The Research QuestionThe research question that will be investigated through this research study is as follows:“What are the impacts of weather in electricity consumption in Sacramento area?

”Literature ReviewThe forecasts of electricity demand in an economy are made in consideration to the factors such as technological changes, income of consumers, population growth and prices. However, researchers have found that weather conditions variables should be also used to forecast electricity demand. A huge literature work has been done to study this relationship. In California, the population growth in the hotter interior regions of the state is causing growth in cooling demand, which ultimately affects the electric power system (Sanstad and Franco).

1 Hor et al. investigated the affects of weather (Temperature, wind spread, rainfall, relative humidity and sunshine), GDP and population growth on monthly electricity demand in England and Wales. Weather conditions affect the electricity industry in terms of electricity consumption and operation of the network infrastructure (Hor et al.).2 Donovan and David discovered the use of the shade trees for reducing electricity use and they demonstrated the importance of location of tree cover to reduce summertime electricity use.

3Lillard and Aigner demonstrated the impact of temperature level variations on time of day (TOD) electricity consumption and air conditioning.4 They found a positive relationship between the temperature variations and TOD consumption and air conditioning. Although, the literature has supported the impact of weather conditions on electricity consumption however, to develop accurate electricity consumption forecasts in Sacramento, California there is a need to conduct this research study. Research Design In this research study, the impact of weather conditions on electric consumption in Sacramento will be evaluated.

The variables that have been selected can be categorized into dependent and independent variables. The dependent variable is the electricity consumption while the independent are climatic variables (temperature wind speed, rainfall and humidity) and social economic variables (gross domestic product and population growth). Considering social economic variables is important because the impact of these factors cannot be ignored whilst developing the mathematic model. The formulated equation is as follows:In order to test the hypothesis, the historical data of all these variables will be collected.