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Which countries consume the most electricity per person? You might guess the United States would top the World Bank’s list, but the Nordic countries of Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden are actually at or near the top. Icelanders consume an average of 52,374 kilowatt hours per person per year, Norwegians 23,174 kilowatt hours, Finns 15,738 kilowatt hours, and Swedes 14,030 kilowatt hours. Americans are not far behind, with an average consumption of 13,246 kilowatt hours per person. The Japanese consume 7,848 kilowatt hours.
This image is part of a global composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite in 2012. The nighttime view of Earth was made possible by the “day-night band” of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. VIIRS detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as city lights, wildfires, and gas flares. The city lights of several major Nordic cities are visible in the imagery, including Stockholm, Sweden (population 905,184); Oslo, Norway (634,463); Helsinki, Finland (614,074), and Reykjavik, Iceland (121,490).
Tags: Europe, energy, remote sensing, development, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway.
This articles discusses which countries use the most electricity and believe it or not, the Nordic countries are at the top of the list. It shows two satellite images in the nighttime for you to get a better visual as to which areas of these countries use the most electricity. There are multiple factors that go into these countries consuming this much energy. One factor that is interesting is the high demand for electricity because of the long winters in these countries.
These images are really interesting and expose just how much electricity the Scandinavian countries actually use. It is surprising to think of these nations as large energy consumers because of their general reputation as progressive, clean, and liberal places. This brief article is an excellent example of how maps and satellite images can be misleading, though. As opposed to places like the U.S. or China, energy consumption in the Scandinavian countries actually produces only small amounts of greenhouse gases and is based on renewable energy sources.
This shows an interesting and not immediately apparent geographic distinction between the Scandinavian countries and places such as China and the U.S. Chinese and United States energy consumption is enormous because of those countries' ability and desire to produce large amounts of goods quickly. Household energy use is also high because of the widespread use of electronics such as televisions, computers, and appliances. The Scandinavian countries, on the other hand, have a need for increased energy use because of their geographic location: long, dark winters mean an increased need for electricity and for longer periods. Also, Scandinavia is able to produce energy at lower costs due to its use of renewable energy sources. So though those countries may consume much more energy than their non-Scandinavian counterparts, they are doing so responsibly and for a reason.