The Electricity Hierarchy of Needs
We in the rich, developed countries are burning a lot of calories debating the environmental aspects of electricity. While debate is healthy and we should be striving to improve the sustainability of our power systems, we also need to pull back and look at the big picture.
From a global perspective, we must keep in mind that while we in the developed nations have the luxury of taking electricity for granted, there are still about a billion people without access to electricity and many more for whom electricity is both unreliable and unaffordable.
I see electricity as an essential social service, like healthcare or water (both of which are also dependent on electricity btw), and a useful construct for thinking about electricity is through the lens of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I propose that there is an "Electricity Hierarchy of Needs":
Accessibility —> Reliability —> Affordability —> Environmental Attributes
The developed nations have long since satisfied the first three needs, so we have the luxury of arguing over the fourth. But we must recognize that there are billions of people in the developing nations for whom the first three needs are still an aspiration, and as we develop energy transition policies we need to make sure we are not creating barriers for them to benefit from this essential service to improve the quality and longevity of their lives.
Here's a link to a good overview of global electricity access on Our World in Data for those interested in learning more: https://lnkd.in/gCDDAnrU