How Sweden holds her energy use near half the U. S. per-capita level
Sweden might be expected to consume more energy per capita than the United States, because her climate is more demanding and her exports more energy-intensive. But with virtually the same per-capita gross national product Sweden consumes only 55 percent as much energy per capita. There are lessons to be learned here: in the use of energy-efficient technology; in the creation of social, economic and political environments that foster such technology; and in liberation from the notion that unemployment must accompany a slowing or halt in the rise in energy consumption. It's instructive to compare reactions to the oil embargo of 1973, which hit Sweden even harder than America, because Sweden is more dependent on imported fuel. Sweden, already far more efficient in energy use, emphasized further conservation. The U.S. intensified its subsidies and tax encouragements for developing energy supplies, a clearly more expensive way to bridge the gap between supply and demand. In Sweden, prices and taxes on oil products rose above their already-high levels; the U.S. retained controls on the prices of most fuels. Sweden continued to revise electricity rates so heavy consumers pay a fair share of the long-run incremental costs, while the U.S. made little progress away from prices that are far from representative of the cost of producing electricity. The major energy-consuming sectors of the Swedish economy are examined and compared with U.S. practices.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of California, Berkeley
- OSTI ID:
- 7153210
- Journal Information:
- Energy Res. Rep.; (United States), Vol. 2:8
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ENERGY POLICY
SWEDEN
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
USA
BUILDINGS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ECONOMICS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY CONSERVATION
GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LEGISLATION
LIGHTING SYSTEMS
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
SPACE HEATING
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
EUROPE
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
HEATING
NORTH AMERICA
SCANDINAVIA
298000* - Energy Planning & Policy- Consumption & Utilization
291000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Conservation