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As the winter holidays approach, the time spent indoors sharing food and celebrating with our loved ones increases. In fact, it has been calculated that there is a 30% energy consumption rise over Christmas due to the use of Christmas tree lights, decorations and other seasonal appliances. As a consequence of this, the household electricity consumption of most Swedes is expected to increase over the Christmas break.
But What Does Energy Production in Sweden Look Like, in the First Place?
Sweden owes most of its energy production to hydro power, wind power and nuclear power. Moreover, 69.16 percent of total energy production comes from renewables and 29 percent from nuclear.
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How Much of This is Electricity?
Electricity production is one of three components in total energy, with the other two being transport and heating. In Sweden, electricity production is characterised by a stark majority of hydropower and nuclear energy, followed by wind and a minority of bioenergy, oil, solar, gas and coal.
In 2023, only 1.3% of total electricity production is obtained from fossil fuels.
What About the Average Local Swedish Consumption?
According to the most recent numbers by Statistics Sweden (SCB), electricity consumption in 2022 was highest in the municipalities Stockholm and Västra Götaland, followed by the southernmost region of Skåne and the northernmost region of Norrbotten.
Though most electricity supply in Sweden is renewable, per capita electricity consumption in Sweden remains some of the highest compared to other European countries. In 2023, it was calculated that each Swedish citizen consumes 12.000 kWh of electricity on average, the second highest consumption rate in the EU. Per capita electricity consumption in Sweden is in fact 2.2 times higher than the EU average.
What about a ‘green’ Christmas this year?
According to The Climate Action Monitor 2024 by the International Programme for Action on Climate (IPAC), the year 2024 has seen new records for global warming and unprecedented national temperature levels. Moreover, it reports that current 2030 commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not ambitious enough.
Although Sweden is ranked highly in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index, the current government is reversing many progressive sustainable energy policies, with a shift from renewables to nuclear power instead. As we draw to the end of this year, this Christmas can become an opportunity to rethink one’s individual energy consumption and demand Sweden maintains its progressive climate policies.