Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Value
Symbol
Name
kWh
TWh
10
12
J
TJ
terajoule
277,777
10
15
J
PJ
petajoule
277,777,777
0.277
10
18
J
EJ
exajoule
277,777,777,777 277
Energyconsumption isoneofthemostaccurate indicators ofwealth. Twohundredyears
ago, a wealthy family in Europe or North America consumed about five times as much
energy as a poor family in their own country (measured by the amount of food and fuel
they used and the number of horses they kept), and about ten times asmuch as one of the
poorest families on Earth. Today, a comparably wealthy individual consumes 20 times as
much as their poorest compatriots, and well more than 100 times as much as most rural
As a rule, the richer a country is, the more energy its people consume. However, culture,
habits, geography, and local market forces also play a role. Top of the league table of per
capita energy consumption are wealthy countries with very hot or very cold climates, such
as Iceland and Qatar (see
Table 3.8
).
Table 3.8.
Energy use per capita in selected countries
Country
MJ/capita/year
Iceland
752,912
Qatar
538,674
Kuwait
467,456
Canada
308,986
United States
295,965
Australia
224,664