By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES, Oct 25 2006 (IPS)

How can energy demand be curbed and global temperatures stabilised without sacrificing comfort and productivity? An Argentine non-governmental organisation is trying to come up with an answer, a tailor-made formula for the country to reduce energy consumption by up to 30 percent by 2020.

The proposal presented by the Argentine Wildlife Foundation (FVSA) would obviate the need for building between five and eight thermal electricity generating stations, and save tens of millions of cubic metres of natural gas, according to its authors, who estimate that total savings would amount to 6.5 billion dollars.

In contrast, the efficiency measures they recommend have a much lower cost, of between 250 and 350 million dollars over 15 years. The proposal is to put low energy consumption products on the market, make production more energy-efficient, and raise awareness on the issue.

Marcelo Acerbi, director of Conservation and Sustainable Development at FVSA, told IPS that “ideally, the proposal would crystallise into a draft law on energy efficiency, to give the measures some clout.” “We want to have an impact on public policy with this report,” he emphasised.

In order to satisfy demand in 2020, if the present Argentine policy and the same high rate of growth that the country has experienced since 2002 continue unaltered, energy supply would have to grow by 87 percent.

The Néstor Kirchner administration, faced with this prospect, announced this year the construction of new thermal electricity stations, more investment in hydroelectric dams and life extension for existing nuclear power stations, as well as the construction of new reactors.

Within the framework of its “PowerSwitch!” campaign, WWF decided to study the scope of efficient energy use in 16 countries, focusing mainly on electrical power. Along with Argentina, the campaign is being carried out in Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Russia, the United States and other countries.

The idea is to boost awareness of the potential of energy efficiency policies. However, Argentine government officials invited to the presentation of the report did not attend. “We contacted some of them and they gave us their opinions, but even if the public sector is not interested, we shall persevere,” Acerbi said.

The report, “Energy Efficiency: Reduce Emissions and Save”, notes that efficient energy use opens the way to stabilising greenhouse gas emissions, produced by the burning of fossil fuels to generate energy.

With the projected energy savings, equivalent to what seven million cars would consume in a year, Argentina would produce 70 million tons of carbon dioxide a year in 2020, the same amount it produced in 2005. It is these emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Unlike the Argentine chapter of the international environmental organisation Greenpeace, which mainly promotes investment in alternative energy (wind, solar and other sources), FVSA decided that keeping energy use to a minimum would be the most effective response to climate change, in the short and medium term.

The report proposes more efficient technologies for producing and consuming energy, better designs and practices, higher levels of investment in education, and raising awareness among residential and industrial consumers, in order to avoid waste. “The choice we have is not to increase supply, but to reduce demand,” it says.

“The scenario forecast by FVSA does not imply a sacrifice or reduction in energy service, but is based on technologies available on the market (although not necessarily in Argentina)” to use energy more efficiently.

As an example, the report notes that a compact fluorescent lamp emits four times as much light as an incandescent bulb of the same wattage.

Among its proposals, the FVSA claims that residential consumption could be reduced by 24 to 46 percent by 2020, if campaigns about rational consumption are carried out, and if low-consumption domestic appliances are clearly labelled as such.

In some countries such labelling has been mandatory for several years, and limits are put on the amount of energy a home appliance can consume. Technology also exists to avoid stand-by and off-mode power consumption by VCRs, answering machines, DVDs or microwave ovens.

“Consumers don’t realise that if they leave their cellphone on the charger for longer than necessary, they are wasting energy,” Acerbi pointed out. “The same is true for domestic appliances that could be unplugged or at least switched off when they’re not in use,” he said.

For the industrial sector, energy savings of between 11.6 and 14.3 percent are proposed by 2020, through more efficient engines. Measures affecting commercial consumption are proposed to cut energy use by nearly 20 percent in the next 14 years. Separating circuits, installing switches or taking advantage of natural daylight in the design of buildings are a few of the recommendations.

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