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Title:
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How will energy use develop and what are the prospects of energy saving measures?
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Author(s):
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
Policy Studies
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26-5-2009
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-O--09-020
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Other
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Number of pages:
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Full text:
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0
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Download PDF
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Abstract:
Since the second oil crisis (1980) energy savings have contributed worldwide to limiting the pressure on fossil fuel resources, mitigating environmental effects such as greenhouse gases and easing the burden of high energy prices.
However, in recent years the rate of savings has decreased, despite ample opportunities to improve energy efficiency. Probable causes are the lower energy prices (except in 2008) and a lack of effective government policies to stimulate savings. Another cause could be the invisibility of savings, which actually constitute “energy carriers that have not been used”. Therefore, it is important to have methods that can prove realised energy savings. Considerable effort, also by EU and IEA, is put into the monitoring of energy savings and the evaluation of policies on savings.
With these methods past and future savings have been calculated. The effect of renewed efforts to raise the savings rate, both in the Netherlands (program “Clean & Efficient”) and the EU, is shown. Also the effect of savings, together with economic growth and structural changes, on future energy demand will be shown.
The results indicate that up to 2020 savings can be more important than the increased use of renewable energy sources or switches between primary energy sources.
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