Energy Consumption

As we have seen until now, it is a really complex topic with many different aspects to take into account. We have also seen that there apparently are ways how countries can reduce their energy consumption, increase their GDP and shift towards more renewable energy sources at the same time (e.g. Sweden, UK, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland).  

Due to the sheer size and complexity of the topic, many of you might be asking: But what can I do? How can any of my actions have an impact on society?

As we have seen within the introduction of this module, you can separate the final energy consumption within the EU in three main sectors: Industry (26.1%), Transport (28.4%) and Households (28.0%) make up 82.5% of the total energy consumption. So let's have a look what we can do in each of the sectors:


Industry:
Even though it is hard to implement changes within the industrial sector, especially on a personal level, let's have a look at some interesting guidebooks on how companies can take actions to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions. The main focus lies clearly on energy efficiency.

At the following chart you can find 10 key energy efficiency actions elaborated by ABB.



For small players in the industrial sector, the best way to undertake efficiency actions is to do energy audits. The results can be used to identify the problem areas and come up with a plan to achieve energy efficiency for industry. While you can conduct in-house energy audits, for the best and impartial results ask for an external team to do it. Energy audit companies have an expert team specialising in energy auditing and help companies become more efficient. Energy audit will help quantify energy consumption of each department, peak consumption times and days and where the waste is happening. After the audit is done, the team will recommend the necessary steps for achieving better energy efficiency of industry and saving the cost. LINK


Transport:
For a more detailed list of how to lower your CO2 emission within the transport sector, please look at Module 3 of this Guidebook. Here we will just refer to a chart that shows you the energy efficiency of the different types of transport. Whenever you have a chance to choose your transport means, have a look at the chart and think twice. 



Households:
There are many guides on how to save energy within your household. By taking small steps at home, you can save energy and money and help to protect the climate by reducing your emissions. As we have seen earlier, households generate roughly a quarter of all direct CO2 emissions produced in the EU today. The European Commission proposes tips for your home regarding five different aspects: Heating and Cooling; Insulation; In the kitchen; Wash smart and Save electricity.

Heating and Cooling

• Don’t overheat your water. Set your boiler at a maximum temperature of 60°C to make it run efficiently and hygienically.
• Use the thermostat wisely. Did you know that your house won't get warm faster if you turn the thermostat up? This only influences the maximum temperature in your house.
• Close your curtains or shutters on hot days to reduce the sunlight entering your home.
• Keep cool with a fan. Fans use much less energy than air conditioners.

Insulation

• Replace single-glazed windows with double-glazed ones. Double-glazed windows lose 50-70% less heat.
• Can't install double-glazing? Thick curtains or removable insulating window panels will reduce the flow of cold air into your home.
• Draught can be a big source of heat loss. You can save energy by sealing gaps around windows, or installing draught-proofing beneath doors. Even adding covers to keyholes and letterboxes can make a difference!
• Insulate hot water tanks, central heating pipes and wall cavities. If you can't install cavity wall insulation, fit insulating radiator reflectors on the wall behind your radiators.

In the Kitchen

• Buy energy efficient appliances. In the EU, many everyday products such as fridges, dishwashers and ovens carry an EU energy label to help you choose an energy efficient model. The rating ranges from A+++ (most efficient) to G (least efficient). An A+++ dishwasher uses as little as half the energy used by a D-rated one, for example.
• Check your oven is properly sealed. If you have to replace your oven, go for an A-rated model – this could save you around €200 over its lifetime compared to a D-rated one.
• Avoid washing dishes by hand if you have a dishwasher. Modern dishwashers use less water and energy – and most have an ‘Eco’ mode – but only use it when it’s full!
• Only boil as much water as you need. If you have only left the hot water in a kettle for a few minutes, you don’t need to re-boil it.

Wash smart

• Fill up your washing machine. Don’t do a wash if you only have a few items of clothing. Wait until you have a full load – but don’t exceed the maximum permitted weight.
• Choose the lowest suitable temperature. These days, detergents are so efficient that they get most clothes clean at low temperatures.
• Skip the pre-wash cycle if your clothes are not very dirty.
• Avoid using a tumble dryer if possible. One tumble dryer cycle can use twice as much energy as an average washing machine cycle.

Save Electricity

• Replace incandescent or halogen light bulbs with more energy efficient ones. One LED light bulb could save you over €100 in electricity costs over its lifetime of about 20 years.
• Switch off your devices. Internet-connected devices like smart TVs, printers and games consoles from 2016 or earlier can use up to 80 watts of electricity when on standby mode. You could use a single multi-socket power strip to switch them all off easily.
• Ask your energy supplier about installing a smart meter. Smart metering systems for gas and electricity could save you 3% of your energy use.
• Go for green power. Most energy suppliers offer 'green' electricity tariffs, which support the expansion of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. If your home has its own roof, consider fitting solar panels to generate some of your electricity. 

Source: LINK

As seen on this graph, the world´s primary challenge is to find large-scale energy alternatives to fossil fuels that are affordable, safe and sustainable. Only by developing these technologies, the world would be able to leave the unsustainable current alternatives behind and make the transition to the bottom right corner of the chart: the area marked with the green rectangle where emissions are net-zero and everyone has left energy poverty behind.

Therefore, renewable energy will play a key role in the decarbonization of our energy systems in the coming decades. But how rapidly is our production of renewable energy changing? What technologies look most promising in transforming our energy mix?

Let's have a look at what is going on in Europe. As you can see in the following map, the share of primary energy from renewable sources depends strongly on the different countries. From 1% in Belarus to 87% in Iceland there is a wide range of different shares.



As you can see in the following chart, especially Wind and Solar power have experienced a strong increase over the last 10 years. Nevertheless, Hydropower is still the number one renewable energy source in Europe. 



Apart from the already well known energy sources, there are some newer ones that might play a role in the next decades. Let's have a look at some:

Renewable hydrogen 
Renewable hydrogen can be obtained via electrolysis using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and is referred to as ‘renewable fuels of non-biological origin’. It's supposed to play a key role in decarbonising sectors where other alternatives might be unfeasible or more expensive. It can be used to replace fossil-based hydrogen for transport and industrial processes and to start new industrial products, such as green fertilisers and steel. It is important to mention that it might be viable for use in certain industries – but is not yet scalable for mass consumption. (LINK)

Hydro Power
Hydro power is the energy derived from moving water. Unlike solar and wind, hydro energy is predictable and, hence, more reliable. Besides, hydroelectric dams, as well as ocean-based energy harnessed from tides, currents, and waves, offer high energy density while reducing dependency on conventional sources. LINK

Nuclear fusion energy
Fusion energy science is a multidisciplinary field focused on the science needed to develop an energy source based on a controlled thermonuclear fusion reaction. Fusion occurs when two nuclei combine to form a new nucleus. This process occurs in our Sun and other stars. Nuclear fusion reactors aim to replicate this process by fusing hydrogen atoms to create helium, releasing energy in the form of heat. Sustaining this at scale has the potential to produce a safe, clean, almost inexhaustible power source. It is important to mention that there are yet many key challenges to overcome on the way to getting nuclear fusion up and running. LINK

Nuclear fission energy (not renewable)
Nuclear fission is the process of breaking large atomic nuclei into smaller atomic nuclei to release a large amount of energy. Even though this nuclear energy is not considered renewable as they are a finite material mined from the ground and can only be found in certain locations, there are many advocates of maintaining nuclear fission energy within the energy mix in order to meet the climate targets for 2050. For a nice overview of the arguments within this debate, please check the following analysis: LINK

Bioenergy
Bioenergy constitutes a type of renewable energy derived from biomass sources. Liquid biofuels with quality comparable to gasoline are directly blended for use in vehicles. To achieve this quality, companies improve biofuel processes and upgradation techniques. The majority of biofuel conversion processes like hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), pyrolysis, plasma technology, pulverisation, and gasification use thermal conversion for obtaining biofuels. LINK

In all this regard, it is interesting to see how different sources have different focuses on the topic. E.g. on the website of Iberdrola, (a Spanish multinational electric utility company) they mention the potential of Renewable Hydrogen. Nevertheless, at the same time they state phrases like “Our way of life needs an increasing amount of watts to function.” As we have seen in the example of Sweden, this is not necessarily true.

Therefore, it is important to evaluate our sources to determine the quality of the information provided within it. Common evaluation criteria can include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias.