Energy in Sweden

The country of Sweden is well ahead of the curve when it comes to its energy policy. The country does not mess around. They have some 47 percent of their energy coming from renewable resources. That certainly puts them in a much more secure position than what you are going to find with the average country.

Renewable energy includes things like the strong hydro-electric power that one can find in the country. Bio energy is another big deal in Sweden with some 27% of the total consumption in Sweden.

In the past, Sweden relied heavily on the importation of fossil fuels to power its economy. That is simply no longer the case. Nuclear energy and the development of other forms of renewable energy have certainly made the country much more adapt to be a low carbon emission economy.

The switch from fossil fuels to much cleaner forms of energy has directly correlated to the rise of the Swedish economy. The country has seen a 9% decline in the use of fossil fuels since 1990 while also seeing a 51% increase in the GDP.

The government in Sweden has agreed to a future of cleaner energy via agreements passed in 2009. This agreement outlined some great goals for the country to strive for by 2020. A few of these goals are to have greenhouse emissions cut 40% from their 1990 levels. At least a 50% mix of renewable energy usage in the country (something they are not far from already). Also, Sweden wants at least 10% of that mix to be used in the transport sector.

In the longer term, Sweden wants to look at having a vehicle stock that is completely fueled on renewable resources. This is the target they have set for 2030. In the even longer term (2050), the country wants to produce no emissions at all.

If Sweden is able to meet its 2020 targets, it will be in full compliance with what the EU has set for it. That is something that the politicians in the country can look forward to. Not only are they going to meet the goals that they have set by the EU, but they are also going to meet their own goals and hold true to their promises they made to their own people.

Primarily, Sweden has looked at economic incentives to meet the goals that they are shooting for. There are both incentives and penalties for those who do not comply with what they are supposed to be doing in order to get those targets met. Things like this help influence behavior in ways that would probably not be achieved by those who did not otherwise have a reason to do so. While difficult to see the benefits of doing the right thing on a personal scale without benefits and penalties, those things help promote the vision that the government has for its goals.