Every little bit: Earth Hour saved Karachi 50MW of electricity

KARACHI:

Lights were turned off at 52 buildings and major streets in the city on Saturday night to mark Earth Hour. However, Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) said that the vigil helped conserve only 50 megawatts (MW) of power, which is about 2.38% of the city’s total power consumption.

KESC spokesman Aminur Rahman said that the biggest drop in power consumption of 50MW took place at around 9 pm, when demand dropped to 2,050 MW, from the usual 2,100 MW.

Some of the buildings where lights were switched off between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm included head offices of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the National Bank of Pakistan, and Governor House. It is difficult to say how many households took part in the initiative.

“Nevertheless, energy conservation is extremely important. Nations around the world have realised the importance of cutting cost, as well as greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rahman.

Earth Hour was celebrated to raise awareness about carbon emissions, which are a major cause of changing weather patterns.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2012.