Speed and surprises: Decline and recovery of global electricity use in COVID’s first seven months

An empty railway station in Osaka, Japan, in 2020. The unprecedented plunge in electricity use around the world at the beginning of the global pandemic was tied to shut-down policies and other factors. Surprisingly, the recovery to pre-COVID levels was quite fast and not linked to those same factors. (Image credit: Ryutaro Tsukata)
Feb 11 2022
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A team of researchers from Stanford and Oregon State University found that the plunge in global electricity use at the start of the pandemic was tied to shut down policies and other factors. However, the factors strongly associated with the initial declines in electricity use were not tightly coupled to its rebound.