Business resilience during power shortages: A power saving rate measured by power consumption time series in industrial sector before and after the great east Japan earthquake in 2011

Abstract

Many power crises have occurred in developing and developed countries such as through disruptions in transmission lines, excessive demand during heat waves, and regulatory failures. The 2011 Great Japan Earthquake caused one of most severe power crises ever recorded. This study measures the industry’s ability to conserve power without critically reducing production (“power saving rate”) as one of the indicator of resilience as a lesson of disaster. The quantification of the power saving rate leads to grasping the potential power reduction of industrial sector or production losses caused by the future incidents in many regions or countries. Using time series data sets ofmonthly industrial production and power consumption, this study investigates the power saving rate of Japanese industries during power shortages after the great earthquake. The results demonstrates the size of power saving rate right after the disaster, during the first severe peak demand season, as well as long-term continuous efforts of power saving in different business.