Iraq | Global warming causes heat waves to become more frequent, which increases the pressure on electrical loads

Arabia Weather - Iraq has recently been witnessing severe and long-term heat waves, affected by global climate changes and global warming. Summer temperatures have become much higher than normal, leading to harsh climatic conditions that affect the daily life and public health of citizens. These waves also cause an increase in energy consumption as a result of heavy reliance on cooling devices, which puts additional pressure on the country's electricity network.

What is global warming?

Arabian weather specialists have explained that global warming is the phenomenon of increasing the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere as a result of an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), resulting from human activities such as burning fossil fuels. (coal, oil, and natural gas), deforestation, and agriculture.

How does global warming work?

Atmospheric specialists pointed out that global warming leads to the absorption of solar radiation, as the Earth absorbs energy from the sun and radiates heat (infrared rays) back into space. It also causes heat to be trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that absorb some of this infrared radiation and radiate it back toward Earth, increasing the temperature on the planet's surface.

How does global warming increase the severity of heat waves in Iraq?

As the overall average temperature rises, hot days become more frequent and the duration of heat waves in Iraq lengthens. Global warming can also change weather patterns, increasing the likelihood of long-term heat waves, as Iraq recently experienced.

Global warming also increases the severity of extreme weather conditions, such as droughts and heat waves, by affecting atmospheric pressure systems and atmospheric circulation. It can dry out the soil and damage plants, reducing their ability to cool the air through evaporation, increasing the heat effect.

Heat waves contribute to increasing electrical energy consumption in Iraq in several ways:

Increased use of air conditioning devices: During periods of extreme heat, people resort to using air conditioning devices extensively to cool their homes and workplaces, which leads to a significant increase in electricity consumption.

Increased consumption of electrical appliances: Various electrical appliances need additional energy to operate efficiently at high temperatures, which increases electricity consumption.

Increased demand for chilled water: In some areas, people rely on water cooling systems that consume large amounts of electrical energy to cool water used for drinking and other uses.

Impact on the efficiency of power plants: High temperatures may negatively affect the efficiency of power generation plants, leading to the need to consume more fuel and energy to produce the same amount of electricity.

Increased evaporation and irrigation needs: Heat waves increase evaporation rates, leading to an increased need for water for irrigation. If irrigation systems rely on electric pumps, energy consumption increases significantly.

Increased load on the electricity network: As electricity use increases, pressure on the national electricity network increases, which may lead to distribution problems and power outages. This requires additional efforts and measures to avoid these outages, which increases energy consumption.

Consequently, heat waves cause a significant increase in electrical energy consumption, which poses a major challenge to the electricity network in Iraq.

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