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Energy efficiency and energy consumption in industry (ENER 025) - Assessment published Apr 2012
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Generic metadata
Tags:
Typology: Efficiency indicator (Type C – Are we improving?)
- ENER 025
- Contents
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Key policy question: Is energy efficiency improving in the industrial sector?
Key messages
Over the period 1990-2009, in EU-27 countries, energy efficiency in industry has improved by 30% at an annual average rate of 1.8% per year, with large differences among countries. Energy efficiency improvement has been realized in all industrial branches except textile. Over the period 2005-2009 energy efficiency improved by 1.5%/year with an important deterioration in 2009 due to the economic crisis.
Energy efficiency index (ODEX) in the EU-27
Note: Energy efficiency index of industry (ODEX) is a weighted average of the specific consumption index of 10 manufacturing branches; the weight being the share of each branch in the sum of the energy consumption of these branches in year t and the sum of the implied energy consumption from each underlying industrial branches in year t (based on the unit consumption of the sub-sector with a moving reference year).
ODYSSEE database (last update : August 2009). ODEX EU-27 in industry. The Odyssee database is available at http://www.odyssee-indicators.org/ The access is restricted to project
partners or subscribers
Energy efficiency improvement (ODEX) in EU-27 countries
Note: Energy efficiency index of industry (ODEX) is a weighted average of the specific consumption index of 10 manufacturing branches; the weight being the share of each branch in the sum of the energy consumption of these branches in year t and the sum of the implied energy consumption from each underlying industrial branches in year t (based on the unit consumption of the sub-sector with a moving reference year).
ODYSSEE database (last update : August 2009). ODEX EU-27 in industry. The Odyssee database is available at http://www.odyssee-indicators.org/ The access is restricted to project partners or subscribers
Key assessment
- Over the period 1990-2009, energy efficiency in industry has improved in EU-27 countries by around 30%, at an annual average rate of 1.8% per year (Figure 1). Greater progress was achieved in the nineties but slowed down since 2000; over the period 2005-2009 energy efficiency improved by 1.5%/year. In 2009, there was a deterioration in energy efficiency (loss of efficiency) because of the economic crisis (the index increase by 0.5 %). The loss of efficiency during a recession period is linked to the fact that, on the one hand, the consumption does not follow the reduction of activity as part of the consumption is not linked to the level of production and, on the other hand, to the fact that industrial equipment, such as kilns, boilers or motors, became less efficient as they did not operate at full capacity.
- There is a large difference among countries concerning progress towards improving the energy efficiency (Figure 2). The highest energy efficiency improvements are registered in new member countries over the period 2005-2009 (such as -5.1%/year in Poland, -5.9%/year in Romania, -4.9%/year in Slovenia, -3.2% in Hungary, -2.2%/year in Czech Republic). Energy efficiency improvement in industry results from technical improvement in industrial process and electric motors, encouraged by policies combining voluntary agreements (e.g. with CEMEP for motors), investment subsidies or audit schemes and the EU-ETS.
Specific policy question: Is energy consumption decreasing in Europe?
CO2 emissions in EU countries (1990, 2009)
Note: The figure shows the CO2 emissions in the industry in EU Countries
- National emissions reported to the UNFCCC and to the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism provided by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Specific assessment
- In 2009 the consumption of the industry sector is 27% below its 1990 level and that reduction has been mainly significant from1990 to 1993 (-4.7%/year) and after 2003. From 2003 to 2007 this consumption decreased by around 1.1%/year following a period of 10 years where the consumption grew by 0.6%/year (1993-2003). In 2008 the consumption has decreased by 2.7% followed by a sharp drop of 14.7% in 2009.
- The energy consumption in manufacturing sector represents around 98% of the consumption of industry (the remaining branches are construction and mining). Chemicals and steel represented around 2/3 of the manufacturing energy consumption in 2009 (19% and 17% respectively) followed by non metallic minerals (14%), paper (13%) and food (11%). The share of steel in manufacturing consumption has decreased from 23% in 1990 to 17% in 2009 (6 points).
- Over the period 1990-2009, improvements took place in all industrial branches except the textile industry. The three most energy intensive branches (chemicals, steel and paper), which represent over 50% of the energy consumption of the sector, reduced their specific energy consumption, i.e. energy consumption per unit of physical output, by 54%, 26% and 12% respectively. Significant improvements were also made in the machinery and cement industries which reduced their specific energy consumption by 40% and 17% respectively (Figure 1).
Specific policy question: What are the key drivers behind the energy consumption in selected industrial branches?
Benchmarking in the steel industry
Note: Figure shows a more detailed comparison of the performance (in terms of energy unit consumption) of the European steel sector across the different EU-27 countries taking into account the relative share of electric steel in total crude steel production.
ODYSSEE database (last update : October 2010). The Odyssee database is available at http://www.odyssee-indicators.org/ The access is restricted to project
partners or subscribers
Benchmarking in the cement industry
Note: Figure compares the energy unit consumption of cement in EU countries as a function of the share of clinker: the higher this ratio, the higher the specific energy consumption.
ODYSSEE database (last update : October 2010). The Odyssee database is available at http://www.odyssee-indicators.org/ The access is restricted to project
partners or subscribers
Benchmarking in the pulp and paper industry
Note: The figure displays the unit energy consumption per ton of paper as a function of the ratio pulp production to paper production: the higher the ratio, the higher the energy unit consumption.
ODYSSEE database (last update : October 2010). The Odyssee database is available at http://www.odyssee-indicators.org/ The access is restricted to project partners or subscribers
Specific assessment
When analyzing specific energy consumption trends in industrial branches, one has to account for the specificities in terms of process mix and product mix. For steel, there are basically two main production processes: the blast furnace oxygen process and the electric arc furnace process. The first one, which represents about 2/3 of the crude steel production for only 1/3 for the electric arc furnace, is much more energy intensive. For paper and cement, part of the energy intensive component, pulp and clinker respectively, may be imported instead of being produced in the country, which will reduce the unit energy consumption, all things being equal[1].
- Figure 3 shows a more detailed comparison of the performance (in terms of energy unit consumption) of the European steel sector across the different EU-27 countries taking into account the relative share of electric steel in total crude steel production. The vertical distance to the red line (benchmark) shows the technical improvement possible at the given process mix of the country.
- Figure 4 compares the energy unit consumption of cement in EU countries as a function of the share of clinker: the higher this ratio, the higher the specific energy consumption. The vertical distance from the world best practice (benchmark based on the best available in terms of specific energy consumption) shows the technical improvement possible at a given clinker/cement mix of the country; in other words it indicates the potential of energy savings.
- Energy unit consumption in the pulp and paper industry is very different among countries: it varies by a factor of 2-3 from a minimum of 0.25 toe/tonne to 0.7 toe/tonne (Figure 5). Low values may mean that most of the pulp is imported and high values that pulp is exported. Therefore, to make the comparison more meaningful, Figure 6 displays the unit energy consumption per ton of paper as a function of the ratio pulp production to paper production: the higher the ratio, the higher the energy unit consumption.
[1] The mix of process to produce the clinker (wet versus dry process) or the paper pulp (chemical versus mechanical pulp) is another explanatory factor of the differences observed but due to lack of data it has not been quantified here.
Data sources
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National emissions reported to the UNFCCC and to the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism
provided by Directorate-General for Environment (DG Environment) , United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -
ODYSSEE
provided by Earth Observation - Environment (ACRI-ST) -
Energy statistics (Eurostat)
provided by Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat)
More information about this indicator
See this indicator specification for more details.
Contacts and ownership
EEA Contact Info
Cinzia PastorelloOwnership
EEA Management Plan
2011 2.8.1 (note: EEA internal system)Dates
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