The latter part of the nineteenth century saw electricity transform itself from a scientific curiosity into a basic necessity. It was only much later that electricity came to be the driving force that it is today. Most of us who live in cities can’t even imagine life without electricity.
The universe, as we know it, would fail to exist if there was no electricity.
Almost everything that we use today; the electric razor, the hair-dryer, the coffee maker, the food processor, the telephone, the refrigerator, the television, and even the computer function on electricity. If there is power shortage even for a brief period, our lives are paralyzed.
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Everything comes to a standstill; the light switch does not produce instant light, the hair dryer cannot blow-dry hair, and a warm shower which is normally just a click of a switch away will involve heating water on the stove.
Our lives have become so dependent on electricity that it’s hard to imagine a life without it. Can we imagine doing laundry without our washing machines?? In cities, carrying water from the spring or drawing water from a well would be cumbersome, time-consuming and unpractical.
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Can you imagine healthcare without x-rays, or sonography, or CT scans??? All these healthcare equipments and many more operate on electricity. Can you imagine walking up fifty floors if you live in a multistoried building??? Can you imagine a life without lights, fans, and air-conditioners?? All the things we take for granted, the things we don’t give a second thought to, operate on electricity. Power cuts might make us uncomfortable for a while, but the moment the power is back on, all is forgotten.
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However it in times of cyclones, floods, and earthquakes, when electric cables get severed, that one begins to realize the importance of electricity.
You could be marooned on top of a house in the middle of a flood and a telephone which runs on electricity could be your only hope for survival. Yes, whether it is medicine, communication, entertainment or sheer existence there’s not much we can do without’ electricity.
Our various indulgences have resulted world over in a situation where demand for electricity has far exceeded its supply. The Americans make up for only four percent of the world’s population, but use 24 percent of the world’s energy.
The need of the hour is not to desperately dig oil rigs in wilderness areas but to evaluate our indulgent ways, and to find new ways to conserve electricity which is produced from natural resources. There are several alternatives to electricity like solar energy and wind energy.
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Huge malls, street lights, shopping arcades and hoardings consume a lot of electricity. They should compulsorily operate on alternative sources of energy like solar energy or wind energy.
Industries that manufacture alternative power sources such as solar, wind and water turbines should be given subsidy for they are the true future of a world which is rapidly heading towards an energy crisis. This will indirectly decrease the cost of alternative energy and more people will come forth to utilize it. It is our duty as responsible citizens to use energy sensibly.
Keeping main switches off when not in use, using appliances that consume more electricity in non peak hours could go a long way in lessening the usage of electricity. Tasks like shaving and brushing that can be easily done manually should be done without the use of electricity. Each of us the young and old can do our bit to save electricity.