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Concept
World energy supply and consumption
Summary
World energy supply and consumption refers to the global production and consumption of primary energy. Energy can be consumed in various different forms, as processed fuels or electricity, or for various different purposes, like for transportation or electricity generation. Energy production and consumption are an important part of the economy. This topic includes heat, but not energy from food.
This article provides a brief overview of energy supply and consumption, using statistics summarized in tables, of the countries and regions that produce and consume the most energy.
As of 2022, energy consumption is still about 80% from fossil fuels. The Gulf States, United States, and Russia are major energy exporters, with notable customers being the European Union and China, where domestically not enough energy is produced in order to satisfy energy demand. Energy consumption generally increases about 1-2% per year, except for solar and wind energy which averaged 20% per year in the 2010s.
Energy that is produced, like from fossil fuels, is processed in order to make it suitable for consumption by end users. The energy supply chain from initial production and final consumption involves many different activities, causing a loss of energy ultimately. This concept is known as exergy. One common example of an energy loss is from electric power transmission, where there is a minor energy loss.
Energy consumption per capita in North America is very high, while in less developed countries it is low and usually more renewable. There is a clear connection between energy consumption per capita, and GDP per capita.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant decline in energy usage worldwide in 2020, but total energy demand worldwide had recovered by 2021, and has hit a record high in 2022.
A serious problem concerning energy production and consumption is greenhouse gas emissions. Of about 50 billion tonnes worldwide annual total greenhouse gas emissions, 36 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide was emitted due to energy (almost all from fossil fuels) in 2021.
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