Energy facts
Global Primary Energy Sources 20131
The percentage breakdown of annual energy extraction
29%
8%
31%
23%
1%
Woodburning for
heat
1%
4%
Liquid
biofuels
Nuclear
Wind, solar,
geothermal,
tidal
2%
1%
hydro
Wood for
electricity
Gas
coal
Oil
How all that energy is used (2013)2
Electricity
12%
Lost energy
Heat
Transport
18%
30%
Other
32% 8%
Total energy use:
155 Petawatt-hours per year
(155 million million KWh). The
lost energy is mostly energy lost
as waste heat up power station
chimneys during the burning of
fossil fuels to generate electricity.
Heat includes industrial heat as
well as homes and workplaces.
The maximum global potential of different forms of renewable energy (PWh/year)3
How much energy we could generate from existing technology, if we installed the necessary panels, turbines, etc on a
realistic fraction of the available space for them.
Solar panels on roofs 15
What do we need?
Wind turbines 53
160
Solar farms 100 to 4,000*
Big hydro 15
Small hydro 0.6
Geothermal electricity 33 to 308
Geothermal heat 3 to 38
Tidal power 0.8
Wave power 4 to 6
Energy from waste digestion 5
What’s the total?
Range:
135-455 PWh without solar
farms or big hydro.
235-4,455 PWh with solar
farms (but without big hydro).
Solar heating 8
Heat pumps 14
Waste cooking oil fuel 0.2
Biomass/biofuels ?**
*PV (photovoltaic) and CSP (concentrating solar power). The largest figure for solar farms assumes covering 2%
of the planet’s surface with solar panels, equivalent to the size of India or a quarter of the world’s farmland.
**Biomass and biofuels are a very risky energy source and should be kept to a minimum.
This is the
amount
of energy
required
to provide
9 billion
people with
an eco-efficient version of a
‘modern’ Northern lifestyle
(with decent public transport,
cycling, car sharing, electrified
vehicles, energy-efficient homes,
more localized production and
consumption, less flying, less
consumer junk etc.).4
PWh/
year
1 BP Statistical review 2014, Global Wind Energy council, renewable Energy Policy Network, International Energy agency 2 International Energy agency
3 Intergovernmental Panel on climate change, plus the upcoming NoNonsense Renewable Energy 4 See twoenergyfutures.org and the upcoming NoNonsense
Renewable Energy for more details of how this would work, including dealing with the variable nature of solar and wind power, matching renewable supply to
demand, and the challenge of producing sustainable aviation fuels.
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N e w I N t e r N at I o N a l I s t
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New Internationalist | newint.org
New Internationalist | newint.org
m a r c h 2015