Europe’s energy consumption mapped

A high-resolution atlas of energy consumption across the EU down to the 1kmx1km scale has been produced by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

The dataset for 2019, chosen rather than the latest available COVID-impacted 2021 dataset, aims to provide insights into the usage patterns of different energy products in the EU and to investigate energy scenarios to 2050.

With a more detailed understanding of how energy is produced, traded and transformed across different regions, the tool should allow spatial analyses to identify patterns, bottlenecks and opportunities for optimising the energy infrastructure.

At a scale previously not impossible, the map is likely to provide a powerful tool for policymakers and infrastructure planners as well as for others such as energy service providers.

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“This concept is totally unique,” says Salla Saastamoinen, JRC Deputy Director-General.

“[Policymakers and infrastructure planners] will be able to see on a map what fuels are being used and where, in unprecedented geographical detail. It will help them gauge the future impact of energy policies in every community across Europe.”

The basic dataset is the Eurostat national energy balances, which are downscaled to the 1kmx1km cell size in a series of steps drawing on other data sets such as the Emissions Trading System and socioeconomic data and then mapped using land use and land cover data.

Some of the energy products with supply and demand mapped include electricity, natural gas, heat, renewables and biofuels, solid fossil fuels and oil and petroleum products.

Among the general findings highlighted is that natural gas is primarily consumed by power plants, industry and households, with high concentrations in densely populated areas.

Electricity consumption is also significant in urban areas, while other energy carriers, such as manufactured gases, oil shale and waste are consumed near their sources for industrial processes.

The same methodology used to break down national energy balances to the 1km square cells is applied to the energy scenarios.

An example highlighted is projected changes in natural gas demand from 2019 to 2050 showing a general shift towards lower consumption, indicating progress towards decarbonisation goals.

The energy atlas has been embedded in the Energy and Industry Geography Lab geospatial tool, which combines energy and industry data.

A key role considered for this tool is to support EU member states in identifying acceleration areas for the rapid deployment of wind and solar.

Combined with other datasets, the new energy atlas provides a boost to the EIGL’s spatial analysis capabilities.

As the Eurostat data is produced on a two-year basis and published two years after the reporting period, the next available dataset for 2023 is likely to become available only in 2025.