Essay of the Winner of the Contest, Vadym Honhalo
All areas of human life, the functioning of small, medium, and large enterprises, medical and educational institutions, financial institutions, and electric transport depend on energy. I especially want to highlight the electric power industry because it powers lighting, communications, production lines, etc. The availability of electricity allows heat pumps to be activated, which provides the population with heat and hot water.
Energy security is the ability of a country or region to ensure access to energy resources. And the fewer restrictions and interruptions in energy supply, the higher our energy security level. Separately, it is worth highlighting the dependence on imported energy resources, which unfriendly states can use as an element of pressure and encroachment on the energy and national security of the state.
Considering the current conditions of martial law, it is essential to consider and implement a wide range of measures to ensure the proper level of energy security. Separately, the need to diversify energy sources and not rely on one supplier is worth noting.
You can increase energy independence by putting new power units into operation and building protection, which requires time and considerable resources.
What can one do today, and what can young people do? First, consume wisely, install smart meters, and do energy-consuming things not during peak hours but when electricity is cheaper. For this, you can use the elements of a smart home, which are pretty convenient for users and do not require special knowledge.
In Ukraine, there are quite a lot of buildings that have heat losses and consume more energy than they need. There may not be enough funds to insulate all of them, but explaining to the residents how to keep warm is something to do so that people can insulate buildings in preparation for winter. Last winter’s experience shows that consumers became more responsible during power outages and tried to consume less, thereby providing power to more consumers. Access to energy resources in our conditions means an opportunity to survive.