Panorama of EU-25 electricity use

How much electricity is used in European homes, offices, industry and transport? How fast is electricity use growing, and for what applications? How could we use electricity more efficiently?

A new report from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre attempts to answer these questions in 'Electricity Consumption and Efficiency Trends in the Enlarged European Union'.

The report proposes seven systems where substantial electricity savings can be realised. An ambitous scenario identifies a total potential for 435 TWh/year, equivalent to over 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Surprisingly, almost half of the potential resides with electric motor systems.

Considering this potential compared to other fields, it appears that policy and actions on improving motor system efficiency are lagging behind.