Energiatarvet

Energiatarvet is a term used in Swedish energy planning to describe the total energy needs of an economy or sector over a specific period, typically one year. It encompasses the amount of energy required by households, industry, transport, services, and agriculture, as well as energy needed to power and heat buildings and to fuel industrial processes. In planning contexts, energiatarvet is often analyzed in terms of final energy consumption and, less commonly, primary energy demand, with units such as terawatt-hours (TWh) or exajoules (EJ).

The size of energiatarvet is influenced by economic activity, population, climate, technology, and policy. Increases in GDP or population raise demand; improvements in energy efficiency or shifts toward electrification can offset growth. Climate conditions affect heating and cooling needs; policy measures such as efficiency standards, incentives for low-energy buildings, and fuel-switching can reduce the energy requirement per unit of output.

Forecasting energiatarvet involves scenario analysis, energy balance modelling and bottom-up sectoral modelling. Projections incorporate historical trends, expected economic development, population growth, technology uptake, and policy assumptions. Measurements distinguish final energy demand from primary energy demand, accounting for energy losses in conversion and transmission.

Energiatarvet shapes investments in generation capacity, transmission, and storage, and interacts with the energy mix and system design. Decarbonization strategies typically aim to lower energy intensity and to ensure that the remaining demand can be supplied with low-carbon or renewable sources, often through electrification of transport and heating powered by clean electricity.

In policy, energiatarvet is a central input for planning electricity production, heating systems, and transport fuels, and for assessing grid reliability and security of supply.