[OPINION] Losing ‘power’ in the time of the coronavirus

It may still be clear in Luzon residents’ memory that rotational brownouts (technically called “manual load dropping” or MLD) were noticeably rampant in the second and third weeks of April last year. Power interruptions have always been expected during summertime due to increased demand for air conditioning, water pumping, and refrigeration, among others. However, last year’s situation was aggravated by an earthquake that crippled the operations of some power plants in the north. Visayas, which usually has lower energy demand than Luzon also experienced power interruptions due to another earthquake that followed the day after. 

Regardless of where in the Philippines you are, dry months that stretch out from March to May make everyone more highly dependent on electricity. Ironically, these are also the months when power outages are more frequent as a consequence of increased energy consumption, unexpected power plant shutdowns, reduced hydropower generation, and tripping of electrical wires and equipment, exacerbated by erratic environmental conditions and unforeseeable natural events. Greater dependence on electricity makes everyone more vulnerable to any interruption in power supply.

Right now we are in the middle of another unexpected phenomenon: the COVID-19 pandemic. In a blink of an eye, the way society works has changed. Businesses that had been delaying work-from-home schemes instantly shifted in that direction. Schools have explored alternative learning interventions through the internet. The use of video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Skype has definitely become more widespread both for work and personal catch-ups. People’s dependence on social media and e-commerce has also become even more pronounced. (READ: Catholics in quarantine mark first online Holy Week)

Perhaps, as an effect of the extended community quarantine, refrigerators in many homes have been on full load to limit visits to the grocery and keep enough food for the family. Houses with air conditioning and electric fans have certainly been using these appliances for almost 24 hours daily. Water pumps have certainly been running at double the time now because of more frequent cooking, dish-washing, gardening, showers, and visits to the toilet. Add to these the increased use of other household appliances such as televisions and gaming consoles to keep ourselves entertained.

For the first time since the birth of many in this generation, families are under one roof 24/7, all depending on the seemingly but not necessarily infinite resource that is electricity.

While many workers have retreated to their homes, work in the health care segment has significantly piled up. With this sudden increase in demand for health care services, uninterrupted power supply to hospitals has never been more critical. Considering that COVID-19 attacks the human’s respiratory system and is possibly airborne, proper ventilation and air conditioning round-the-clock is highly necessary. Hospitals highly rely on a continuous supply of electricity to keep ventilators, dialysis machines, laboratory equipment, incubators, nebulizers, and storage of medications, vaccines, and blood supplies, among others, running. The current situation could also flood intensive care units (ICUs) in a matter of days; in fact, Philippine hospitals have been struggling to keep up with the influx of patients needing special care. A single power fluctuation event could mean another COVID-19 patient’s life lost.

Seeing how energy demand has obviously shifted from commercial buildings, malls, and schools to residential areas, and how electricity has become the invisible lifeblood of hospital operations, power interruptions for whatever reason will definitely translate to huge social costs, including human lives. With as many as 19 electric companies simultaneously affected by the MLD event on April 12 last year across 5 of the 8 regions of Luzon, prolonged outages of a similar scale would be paralyzing if not catastrophic.

Although hospitals are usually equipped with backup power supplies and are often spared from power interruptions due to MLD, we can only speculate what the worst-case scenario could be. Standby generator set capacities designed for power interruptions at a typical hospital occupancy rate may not anymore be enough under these circumstances. Additionally, rough transitions between power sources may trigger malfunctions in hospital equipment.

Venezuela can give us a hint of what it could look like: in October last year, 26 patients died by the end of a five-day nationwide power outage, which included those with kidney failure who couldn’t get their dialysis treatments, and gunshot victims who could not be operated on while in darkness. It happened as some backup generators failed to work, disabling critical healthcare equipment like dialysis machines and mechanical ventilators. This does not even include the sick who could have died in their homes without getting medical attention.

Going back to our homes, power interruptions in these uncertain times while on community quarantine may cause a lot of discomfort, emotional and social strain, and additional burden to the health care sector. Prolonged power interruptions may cause food spoilage and water supply problems. For households without access to backup generators or solar power systems (which are most of us), this could also mean drained electronic devices, consequently disabling means of communication. Those doing work remotely will be put to a complete halt. Vulnerable household members like babies, the elderly, and the infirm will be exposed to greater risk. With people under one roof completely stalled, conflicts due to irritability and discomfort may naturally arise. Just take this study, for example. Frequent intermittent and short-duration power interruptions may also damage household appliances (e.g. LCD TVs, LED lamps) and entail significant restart costs. (READ: [OPINION] Use solar energy for responding to disasters)

As we move towards the peak of the dry season, I hope that the energy department and electric companies are on top of the situation, anticipating whatever scenario that may derail our collective response against the spread of the new coronavirus. Hospital administrators may want to check with their facilities team if there is enough capacity and redundancy in place in the event a prolonged power outage occurs and procure for any necessary expansions. Generous and capable companies and individuals may consider donating and/or lending standby power generators and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to hospitals in order to mitigate untoward impacts an unexpected power interruption might cause in the middle of this fight. In addition, the government may grant subsidies and/or tax exemptions for this equipment used for health care facilities.

In this highly interconnected world we live in today, life without electricity would be unimaginable. Our dependence and unconscious enjoyment of its benefits are also making us greatly vulnerable when it is disrupted. Especially during our fight against COVID-19 at the height of this sweltering time of the year, continuous electricity supply must be assured. – Rappler.com

Lorenz Ray Payonga is a Master of Sustainability Science candidate at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, and studies the impact of power interruptions on quality of life.