Energy mix

The energy mix of a country to the combination of different primary energy sources that make up the total primary energy supply of a country.[1] Very few, if any, countries in the world use only one primary fuel or primary energy flow to power the entire country. Different energy services tend to use different sources.

For example, transportation in its various forms (cars, trucks, airplanes, ships) almost always use petroleum products (oil, diesel and kerosene) for their energy. For specific information on this please see transportation energy use.

On the other hand, residential energy use often includes biofuels or natural gas for heating and cooking. Homes often use a fair amount of electricity as well. This electricity must come from some primary energy sources because electricity is a energy currency, rather than a source.

The energy mix of the country is the sum total of all of these different sources of energy, including the energy that's imported from other countries. Conversations about shifting the world's energy mix often fail to take into account the full complexity of the mix, focusing on parts of the energy mix instead. For example, many people think about changing the energy mix specifically for electrical production, without considering the oil used for transportation (oil is rarely used for electricity, except in some island countries).

In the data visualization below, click on different countries to see what the energy mix looks like. Be aware that some countries (like Canada, or OPEC countries like Kuwait) export energy (like electricity or gasoline), which shows up as a negative amount on the line chart.

See Also

References

  1. Planete Energies. "About the Energy Mix." [Online], Available: http://www.planete-energies.com/en/medias/close/about-energy-mix, Jul 3, 2015 [Aug 17, 2016.