An estimated 840 million people still live without electricity—and survive. In the electrified parts of the world, on the other hand, providing even the most basic necessities would quickly become impossible without power. A study by the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) states that “providing for the population nationwide could no longer be assured after just a few days.”
Doctors’ offices would be forced to close within days. Within the first two hours after a power outage, supermarkets without emergency power supplies would have to turn away new customers because the lighting, checkout and payment systems, refrigeration, security and doors wouldn’t work. The shelves in supermarkets would also be emptied within two to five days. And even keeping vital water supplies running isn’t possible for very long without power—experts estimate anywhere from a few hours to one day.
