Introduction
The 2030 Agenda For sustainable development aims for all people to have global access to cheap, reliable power sources, increase clean energy sources, and double the worldwide rate of progress in energy efficiency. The SDG7 seeks to improve job creation, economic growth, global security problems, and women’s empowerment by achieving its energy sustainability goals. In general, energy is central to the Sustainable Development Goals, which governments adopted in 2015 as core elements of the 2030 agenda.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The need for a reasonable use of electricity has been globally recognized in the world, but practice in some places shows the opposite. Between 2011 and 2020, the percentage of citizens connected to mini power grids has tripled, rising from six to 13 million (United Nations Statistics Division 2021). However, given existing and proposed policies and the COVID-19 problem, the 2021 monitoring subset of the UNSDGs report projects that 670 million people will still lack access to energy in 2030 (United Nations Statistics Division 2021). Since 2010, the lag in implementing sustainable energy has resulted in scores of deaths emanating from dirty fumes produced by traditional fuels. Without a prompt effort to ramp up sustainable and clean fuel, the report indicated that the world would fail to achieve 30% of its goals. The solution to this problem can be the search and encouragement of conscious electricity consumers that advocate sustainability.
Australia’s Energy Consumption Statistics
The Australian statistics on this matter have experienced a rapid fluctuation. In 2019–20, Australia’s power consumption dropped by 0.3%, reaching 6,014 petajoules, compared to an average annual growth rate of 0.7% for the preceding ten years (Ren and Chen 2018). Subsequent figures for all years were even higher and tended to increase..
Electricity productivity divided by electricity usage decreased by 2.7 % in 2019–20 and by twenty-one percent over the previous ten years (Wang et al. 2020). With every petajoule of electricity used, Australia generated 324 million dollars in GDP, about 55 million dollars more than a decade earlier (Wang et al. 2020). In Australia, coal and natural gas power plants have been the largest producers of energy, followed by hydroelectric and, more lately, renewable energy sources like solar and wind. To limit carbon pollution and align with the United Nations SDG’s goals, Australia has facilitated great movements and campaigns toward sustainable and eco-friendly power sources at both the national and state levels (Wang et al. 2020). Manufacturing factories and homesteads remain the top users of electricity in Australia. During the 2019-20 fiscal year, households in Australia consumed 18.59% of the total electricity produced, amounting to $48,984 million (Wang et al. 2020). The general household in Australia paid an average of $1776 in power bills in 2021, which is $100 more than the preceding year (Wang et al. 2020). Therefore, Australians should devise creative means to reduce their electricity usage to achieve the United Nations SDGs objectives.
Customer Profile
The Customer Persona via Empethy Map
The main consumers, in this case, will be the most conscious group of people. Potentially, two groups can be distinguished: young people who advocate for the sustainable use of resources, and the older generation, who listen to these activists. Applying an empathic map to the description of the client base, we can say that the first group of people sees, speaks, and feels more. The second group listens to the words of the activists and draws the appropriate conclusions. Activists see deterioration in energy consumption patterns and feel a significant deterioration in things. They try to get their message across to the world and attract mindful people. A general idea, especially a fine one, tends to spread and leave the prerequisites for active action. The older generation, open to the world, sees the message and also thinks about the wise use of energy.
Customer Job; Examples of Actions
At the same time, the degree of awareness of the state of affairs in society and the environment plays an important role. At the moment, the world is moving towards taking active steps towards a more conscious use of energy resources. The relevant academic disciplines are implemented in schools and colleges; the topic is developed on federal television and broadcast to the general public. Potential customers see this, experience negative emotions due to inaction in the face of environmental degradation and strive to correct the situation with conscious actions.
An exaple of conciouss attitude can be use of energy saving bulbs. Conventional incandescent lightbulb expends much electricity and requires replacement more frequently than their power-efficient alternatives. Halogen incandescent and Light-Emitting Diode bulbs consume 25 to 80 percent less power and last 4 to 26 times longer than conventional bulbs (Adedoyin et al. 2021). Energy-efficient lights are costly to purchase, which is compensated by their efficiency in energy consumption resulting in a longer lifespan. Therefore, energy-saving bulbs are more economical in the long term and environmentally friendly, which fairly attracts midful people.
Another example can be switching off electronics when not in use. Electronics use electricity while switched off or idle, contributing to significant electricity waste. Ideally, 65% of the electricity required to power home gadgets is consumed while the appliance is turned off, which may cost consumers up to $150 each year (Adedoyin, Alola, and Bekun 2021). Intelligent energy strips reduce the energy loss by cutting off the electricity to gadgets while idle. Intelligent energy strips may be pre-programmed to shut down at a predetermined time after a set timeout duration via a remote switching device.
The Negative Aspects
Saving energy can be paradoxically expensive and take up a large portion of a family’s budget. It can also affect health, for example, by limited using electricity to heat the house in a cold winter. Electricity is a fairly cheap and affordable way for many things. Any alternatives can deprive a person of the usual comfort for the first time. For example, solar panels will not be able to charge properly on a rainy day, they are weaker in terms of performance. They are also more expensive to purchase and install on a roof. A person interested in finding alternative energy must be prepared for a decent adaptation period.
The Positive Outcomes and Benefits
The best reward for the client groups described may be a sense of belonging to the overall process of improving the quality of the environment. They are conscious and can clearly see the worsening picture of the impact of the unwise use of electricity. Installing a smart thermostat, turning off electronics when not in use, using energy-saving light bulbs are small steps that absolutely anyone can take. However, shared awareness and solidarity on an important issue can lead to big changes.
Conclusion
The UNSDG7 seeks to improve job creation, economic growth, global security problems, and women’s empowerment by achieving its energy sustainability goals. Australia has been at the forefront in enforcing the UNSDG7 guidelines. In Australia, coal and natural gas power plants are the largest producers of energy, followed by hydroelectric and, more lately, renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Despite the efforts to enhance a sustainable world by 2030, Australia has been facing occasional high energy consumption, mainly from homesteads. Replacing traditional bulbs with modern energy-saving alternatives, substituting double-pane glass windows with single-paned ones, installing smart thermostats to eliminate unnecessary energy, installing Intelligent energy strips to reduce the energy loss by cutting off the electricity to gadgets while idle include some of the recommended remedies to the energy problem. Adjusting their energy use behaviors can help solve most of the causes of high electricity consumption.
References
United Nations Statistics Division. 2021. Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Unstats.Un.Org. 2021. Web.
Ahmed, Khalid, Nicholas Apergis, Mita Bhattacharya, and Sudharshan Reddy Paramati. 2021. Electricity consumption in Australia: The role of clean energy in reducing CO2 emissions. Applied Economics, 53.
Ren, Zhengen, and Dong Chen. 2018. Modelling study of the impact of thermal comfort criteria on housing energy use in Australia. Applied Energy, 210, 152–66.
Adedoyin, Festus Fatai, Andrew Adewale Alola, and Festus Victor Bekun. 2021. The alternative energy utilization and common regional trade outlook in EU-27: Evidence from common correlated effects. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 145, 111092.
Wang, Richard, Shu-Chien Hsu, Saina Zheng, Jieh-Haur Chen, and Xuran Ivan Li. 2020. Renewable energy microgrids: Economic evaluation and decision making for government policies to contribute to affordable and clean energy. Applied Energy, 274, 115287.