Total Primary Energy Production
Total primary energy production (TPEP) across the globe has increased (Figure 1). However, if we were to view this according to fuel shares, it would seem that the overall picture has remained fairly similar from 1973-2012. Apart from the fact that the proportion of nuclear has increased from 0.9% to 4.8% and likewise an increase of 1% for other sources (IEA, 2014), it is clear that the trio (oil, coal, natural gas) still dominates TPEP.
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Figure 1. Total Primary Energy Production by Fuel (Source: IEA, 2014)
Total Final Consumption
Fuel shares for Total Final Consumption (TFC)
have not changed very much since 1973 (Figure 2). The most notable
change is for electricity where an increase of 8.7% is found (IEA, 2014).
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| Figure 2. Total Final Consumption by Fuel (Source: IEA, 2014) |
If we zoom into electricity generation, then we find that the share of oil for electricity generation dropped by 19.8% from 1973-2012 (IEA, 2014). On the other hand, more electricity generation is being met by nuclear and other sources (Figure 3). Even so, fossil fuels are still important players for generating electricity.
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| Figure 3. Electricity Generation by Fuel (Source: IEA, 2014) |
Where's all the final consumption going?
According to the IEA (2014), in 2012, 63.7% of world oil was consumed by the transport sector. For natural gas, 43.4% was consumed by agriculture, commercial and public services and residential (Other) and 36.5% was consumed for industrial purposes. In relation to the final consumption of coal, a staggering 80% was consumed by industry in 2012.
CO2 Emissions
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| Figure 4. World CO2 Emissions from 1971-2012 by fuel (Mt of CO2) (Source: IEA, 2014) |
The International Energy Agency's most recent key world energy statistics for 2014 suggest an increase in CO2 emissions by 16,101 Mt of CO2 from 1973-2012 (Figure 4). The fossil fuel trio was responsible for 99.5% of total emissions in 2012. Where in 1973 the OECD countries made up 66.1% of emissions, this is no longer the case. OECD countries produced 38.3% of emissions in 2012, but the biggest changes came from Asia and China, coinciding with rapid socio-economic development (Figure 5).
CHECK THIS OUT!! >>>> http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.KT/countries/1W?display=map
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Figure 5. Regional Shares of CO2 Emissions for 1973 and 2012. (Source: IEA, 2014) |
Tackling Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Tackling greenhouse gas emissions will involve not only addressing the source and nature of production, but also implementing technological developments and targeting policy interventions to the transport, commercial, residential and industrial sectors.
Since 63.7% of world oil was consumed by the transport sector in 2012 (IEA, 2014), I believe the biggest global challenge is in re-designing transportation altogether in order to achieve significant emission reductions. This is currently being addressed partly by CO2 to hydrocarbon fuel (HCF) technologies under the sustainable fuels concept. (Just a little hint on what I have in store for you guys in my future posts).
Ok - that's it from me for now. Please tune into my next post on tackling global emissions and the 2°C global warming target! :)
Hello! Great graphs! Amazing how our energy budget is still rising....
ReplyDeleteWhat came to my mind reading this: will you be looking at the different energy balances per continent? From what I remember, they can be quite different from the actual IEA numbers. As an example: In many areas in Africa, energy is not produced on a large scale scheme, but locally by little generators. This leaves a grid pattern that is exactly opposite to the centralized production we have. Also looking at emissions: CO2 actually appears to be only semi-important, while non-CO2 emissions such as N2O and CH4 from African agriculture are actually much higher. I wonder what it is like in Asia, where the development level is also lower than in Europe or North America. This is where my ideas come from: http://www.biogeosciences.net/11/381/2014/bg-11-381-2014.html
Keep it up :D
Hi Sophie! Thanks for commenting on my blog post.
DeleteMy focus for this blog is energy futures and I will indeed focus a lot on specific case studies. My aim for this post was to give a general overview of the global energy balances and the IEA provided great data for this. However, I completely agree with you on the fact that the nature of the energy balances, energy consumption patterns and energy infrastructures actually differs on a regional basis. I will be focusing on the significance of the energy/electricity grid for my future posts and I hope you enjoy reading about this. The African context is actually similar to some areas of Vietnam, where energy is generated locally and in fact, biomass and hydropower are key sources. Also, CH4 and N2O emissions are high due to biomass burning and transportation type. I will go into detail when I focus on the Vietnamese case for energizing the future.
Yes - I follow your point that CO2 is just one of the many GHGs that can affect the climate. The recent IPCC report has worked to take account of additional non-CO2 drivers in the Representative Concentration Pathways. Prior to this, the SRES scenarios did not include the roles of solar/volcanic/CH4 or N2O etc.
There has been a debate that you may find interesting - it's about whether we should focus on short-lived GHGs rather than CO2.
Have a fabulous day! :)