Energy use in Sweden
Swedes use a lot of energy, yet emissions in the country are low. The key? Renewable energy.
How much renewable energy does Sweden use?
Nearly two-thirds of the energy used in Sweden comes from renewables. This makes Sweden the leading user of renewable energy in the EU, according to Eurostat.
Sweden’s extensive use of renewable sources such as biomass, water and wind, in combination with nuclear power, makes it possible to maintain relatively low carbon emissions – despite the fact that people in Sweden consume a lot of energy.
Sweden’s energy use at a glance
- Energy use per person and year: ~35 MWh (EU: ~24 MWh)
- Renewable energy share: 63% (2024)
- Fossil fuel-free electricity: 98.8% (2024)
Source: Swedish Energy Agency
Free electricity market
Sweden has a market-based electricity system where Swedes have been free to choose among numerous electricity suppliers since 1996.
Policies promoting renewable electricity production
For decades, Swedish government policies have promoted renewable energy. The Electricity Certificate System – a market-based support system for renewable electricity production – is one example. To qualify, electricity must come from wind, solar, geothermal or wave power; or biofuels or small-scale hydroelectric plants.
Electricity retailers are required to buy a proportion of ‘green electricity’ as part of their normal supply, while power producers receive certification for the renewable electricity they generate.
Electricity makes up about one-third of Sweden's energy use.
Swedish electricity production by source (2024)
- Hydropower: 38%
Nuclear power: 29%
Wind power: 24%
Solar power: 2%
Thermal power (including fossil fuels): 7.0%
Source: Statistics Sweden
The role of nuclear power in Sweden
Nuclear power is the third largest contributor to Sweden’s national electricity production, representing around 30 per cent. The six nuclear reactors currently in operation are distributed between three plants and are expected to remain in operation until 2040–2045.
The Swedish Energy Agency concludes that nuclear power is one of the fossil-fuel free power sources needed to achieve electrification and a fossil-fuel free energy system overall.
Sweden is wise to draw energy from the forest. There's lots of it! Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/imagebank.sweden.se
By connecting solar panels, electric vehicle charging and battery storage to a DC grid, Ferroamp's solution allows property owners to control and manage their electricity usage. Photo: Johan Marklund/Ferroamp
Biogas, produced in facilities like this, can be used both for heating and to generate electricity. Photo: Ulf Grünbaum/Imagebank.sweden.se
Wind power has grown significantly in Sweden and today accounts for around 24 per cent of the country's electricity. Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/imagebank.sweden.se
Sweden is wise to draw energy from the forest. There's lots of it! Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/imagebank.sweden.se
By connecting solar panels, electric vehicle charging and battery storage to a DC grid, Ferroamp's solution allows property owners to control and manage their electricity usage. Photo: Johan Marklund/Ferroamp
Biogas, produced in facilities like this, can be used both for heating and to generate electricity. Photo: Ulf Grünbaum/Imagebank.sweden.se
Wind power has grown significantly in Sweden and today accounts for around 24 per cent of the country's electricity. Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/imagebank.sweden.se
Sweden is wise to draw energy from the forest. There's lots of it! Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/imagebank.sweden.se
By connecting solar panels, electric vehicle charging and battery storage to a DC grid, Ferroamp's solution allows property owners to control and manage their electricity usage. Photo: Johan Marklund/Ferroamp
Biogas, produced in facilities like this, can be used both for heating and to generate electricity. Photo: Ulf Grünbaum/Imagebank.sweden.se
Wind power has grown significantly in Sweden and today accounts for around 24 per cent of the country's electricity. Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/imagebank.sweden.se
Sweden’s total energy use by energy carrier (2024)
- Electricity: 34%
- Petroleum products: 24%
- Biofuels: 23%
- District heating: 13%
- Coal and coke oven coke: 3.5%
- Natural gas and gaswork gas: 1%
- Other fuels: 1.5%
Source: Swedish Energy Agency
Renewable energy sources in Sweden
Bioenergy
The largest renewable energy source in Sweden is biomass, or bioenergy. Sweden's extensive forests, which cover 69 per cent of the land area, are the country's largest source of bioenergy.
Sweden's use of bioenergy has tripled over the past 40 years. The pulp and paper industry is the largest consumer, often using energy derived from residues and by-products generated in its own production processes. Other uses are heating and electricity production.
Hydropower
Looking at electricity, hydropower is Sweden’s main renewable source, generating around 40 per cent of the country’s annual electricity production. Sweden has more than 1,700 hydropower plants, with no plans for expansion. Instead, focus is on environmental and efficiency measures.
Wind power
Wind power has been the fastest growing source of renewable energy around the world in recent years, and capacity continues to expand in Sweden too.
In 2000, Swedish production totalled 0.5 TWh; for 2024, that figure was over 40.4 TWh. In the same time period, the number of wind turbines in Sweden went from 527 to more than 5,000. The Swedish Energy Agency estimates that wind power will become a vital contributor to the electrification of Swedish society, which involves replacing fossil fuels with electricity in transport, industry and heating.
Solar energy
The Swedish solar cell market is growing but still limited, with solar energy accounting for less than 1 per cent of the total energy generated (2024). If we instead look at electricity production, solar energy makes up 2.4 per cent.
Energy rating
By law, most buildings in Sweden must have an energy performance certificate showing how much energy they use. The certificate is registered with the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning (Boverket).
How do Swedes heat their homes?
A growing source of heating in Swedish houses is heat pumps. They use renewable energy sources by transferring heat from the ground, lake water or the air. Some other types of heating are electric heating – sometimes in combination with biofuel, e.g. firewood in stoves – and district heating. For apartment buildings, district heating is most common.
Swedes very rarely use oil and gas for heating.
Preparedness
An important task for the Swedish Energy Agency is preparedness in the event of a disruption to the energy system.
Emerging technologies and the future
To drive the energy transition, research and innovation is key.
Going forward, energy storage is vital, with batteries having a central role to play. Sweden is developing the capacity of grid-scale battery storage to further help balance the energy system. Ingrid Capacity, Flower and Polarium are examples of businesses in this field.
Wave power is another field where Sweden is active. Still relatively undeveloped, wave power is the marine energy technology that shows most promise in Sweden, with established Swedish researchers and companies in the field. One example is CorPower Ocean, featured above.
Another way to reduce carbon dioxide emission is waste heat recovery, which is already implemented in many places. In Stockholm Central Station, for example, the body heat from commuters passing through has been used to heat a nearby office building since 2010.
All in all, Sweden is well placed to continue expanding fossil fuel-free energy and supporting its low-carbon economy.
