People in high-income economies use nearly seven times as much commercial energy as do people in developing economies
•Commentary
About the data
Definitions
Data sources
Energy use and the environment
Each stage in the production, transport, and use of energy has an impact on the environment. The quantity and mix of energy used in a country are an indicator both of potential environmental impact and, roughly, of the country’s stage of development.
Commercial energy is widely traded, making it necessary to distinguish between its production and use. The production and transport of primary energy have a range of potential environmental consequences—from direct restructuring of the environment in the case of surface coal mines to the risk of leaks and catastrophic releases in the extraction and movement of crude oil and natural gas. Production of secondary energy (refined petroleum products and thermal electricity) and energy use in households, industry, and vehicles are by far the largest sources of air pollutants and CO2 emissions (see table 3.5).
Growth in commercial energy use is closely related to the growth of the modern sectors—industry, motorized transport, and urban areas—in developing countries, but more weakly correlated with growth in more developed countries. Commercial energy use per capita reflects the size of the modern sector as well as economic factors, such as the relative price of energy, and climatic and geographic factors.
Traditional fuels come from renewable sources, but the management of these resources—such as open-access forests—is often unsustainable. The burning of crop residues and manure reduces the nutrients available for maintaining soil quality. And traditional fuel use in the home, combined with inefficient combustion and poor ventilation, is a significant source of indoor air pollution and related health problems.
Electricity production has a large environmental impact, whatever the source of energy. Fossil fuel generation is the largest source of air pollution in most countries. Hydroelectric and nuclear power generation both have significant environmental consequences. And solar, wind, and wave generation, relatively benign environmentally, are still rare.
Energy data are compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD). UNSD data are primarily from responses to questionnaires sent to national governments, supplemented by official national statistical publications and by data from intergovernmental organizations. When official data are not available, the UNSD prepares estimates based on the professional and commercial literature. The variety of sources affects the cross-country comparability of data.
Commercial energy use refers to domestic primary energy use before transformation to other end-use fuels (such as electricity and refined petroleum products). The use of firewood, dried animal manure, and other traditional fuels is not included. All forms of commercial energy—primary energy and primary electricity—are converted into oil equivalents. To convert nuclear electricity into oil equivalents, a notional thermal efficiency of 33 percent is assumed; for hydroelectric power, 100 percent efficiency is assumed. For traditional fuel, fuelwood and charcoal consumption data are estimated from population data and country-specific per capita consumption figures by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) after an assessment of the available consumption data. Estimates of bagasse consumption, a traditional fuel, are based on sugar production data.
Electricity production includes both public and self-generating power plants. Self-generating power plants are operated by organizations or companies to produce electricity for internal operations. The energy source used in generating electricity is very important because of the effects different sources have on air quality, but this aspect of electricity production is not captured here.
Definitions
• Commercial energy production refers to commercial forms of primary energy—petroleum (crude oil, natural gas liquids, and oil from nonconventional sources), natural gas, solid fuels (coal, lignite, and other derived fuels), and primary electricity—all converted into oil equivalents (see About the data).
• Commercial energy use is indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and international marine bunkers (see About the data).
• Traditional fuel includes estimates of the consumption of fuelwood, charcoal, bagasse, and animal and vegetable wastes. Total energy use comprises commercial energy use plus traditional fuel use.
• Electricity production includes that generated by nuclear, hydroelectric, geothermal, wind, tide, and wave power sources.
Data on commercial energy production and use are primarily from the IEA and the United Nations Energy Statistics Yearbook. Traditional fuel data are from the World Resources Institute’s World Resources and the FAO.