Modeling electricity consumption patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic across six socioeconomic sectors in the State of Qatar

Abstract

The propagation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associated measures taken by many countries to slow down the spread of the disease, has significantly affected all aspects of people's lives, including the global energy sector. This study aims to investigate the impact of the pandemic on the spatial patterns of electricity consumption in six socioeconomic sectors (residential (villa and flat), industrial, commercial, government, and productive farms) in the State of Qatar. The spatiotemporal patterns of electricity consumption have been assessed using various Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial statistical modeling prior and during the pandemic. The results demonstrate variations in electricity consumption within and between the six sectors. The main changes in the electricity consumption within sectors during the pandemic year is during the lockdown phase. Spatially, some sectors are affected by the pandemic, and hence the pattern and the spatial and temporal distribution of electricity consumption has changed during the pandemic year compared to pre-pandemic years. The results also show that there were variations of spatial clustering of electricity consumption among these sectors. Most of the high-high clustering patterns are located in the mid-eastern and northeastern parts of Qatar. The highest variation in electricity consumption between sectors occurred in the productive farms due to its massive development during the pre-pandemic period and were not affected by the pandemic. There is a sharp decline in electricity consumption in both the industrial and commercial sectors during the pandemic year. Other sectors witnessed an increase in electricity consumption during the summer months, which was mainly due to travel restrictions imposed by many countries around the world. This analysis is vital for policymakers to detect the changes in electricity consumption patterns in the context of emergencies such as the pandemic.