Solar energy is not a new concept. It is something that has been around and evolving for the past couple of years. There are currently tons of different products on the market that utilize solar energy. And, there are people that are already taking advantage of such products. In the United States, the government has done a great job of encouraging individuals to get converted to such plans, as they offer huge discounts, kickbacks, and tax deduction for anyone that buys solar energy appliances and products. There are even some homes that are self-sustaining and run entirely on solar energy. Despite this, it seems that Sweden is the country to beat when it comes to clean energy. In fact, it looks like they already have plans and initiatives in place to become the world’s first clean energy-powered nation.
Understanding Renewable Energy
When it comes to solar energy, you’ll hear the term renewable energy thrown around a lot. Maybe you are unsure what the term means. Well, renewable energy is a term that could be used to describe anything that generates power from water, wind, sun, or any natural source. Did you know that more than half of the energy used in Sweden comes from such sources? It does and the shares only continue to grow. And, this probably has to do with the fact that they have a rich supply of moving water and biomass. It allows them to offer such renewable energy products to their citizens on a wider scale. Unfortunately, not all nations and countries have such access to sources that allow them to offer such a wide range of renewable energy products.
Wind Is Where It Is At
There is no denying that Sweden is full of reliable solar companies and comparison services like SolcellsOfferter. They’ll install everything from solar cells on your home to the appliances to go along with them. They have done a great job on the solar side, but it seems they’ve made great strides in the wind sector as well. Sweden currently has also 500MW of wind split between 10 million people. This means that every residential household will have access to almost half a kilowatt of renewable wind energy. Just as a quick comparison, an average solar roof for a home is right around 2 kilowatts. The US currently has 65 GW, whereas China as 181 GW, but you also have to remember that both China and the US are much larger nations.
Simply put, Sweden has set itself to be a viable provider of both solar and wind renewable energy.
The Power Of District Heating
That being said, it isn’t wind or solar that is Sweden’s biggest success story. It should be district heating. When you think about it solar renewable energy is almost useless in Sweden for half the year. Given its Arctic location, there are 6 months of the year where it is not only bitterly cold, but the sun doesn’t even pop out until after 9 in the morning. And, it’s already dark again by 3. You can see how this renders solar energy useless. Well, the nation found a brilliant way around this sharing their district heating. They are offering residential and commercial customers district heating during these long, cold months.
