Energy and air emission accounts
How much energy does the Danish economy consume, and how many tons of greenhouse gases are emitted? Which industries contribute the most and the least? The energy and air emission accounts respectively shed light on energy supply, the use of energy and the emission of greenhouse gases from the Danish economy, i.e. the activity carried out by Danish resident companies and persons.
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A company that has a financial center of interest (pursuing economic activities) in Denmark for a longer period (more than one year). This means that branches or subsidiaries of foreign companies are considered resident companies.
A person who is permanently resident in Denmark or a person who has been or intends to reside in Denmark for more than one year. However, students and persons in the treatment of illness remain residents of their home country, even if they have to spend more than a year in Denmark, in connection with their studies or treatment.
Calculation of energy consumption, where conversion and transmission/distribution losses are attributed to end-users. Conversion loss is the energy loss that occurs when primary energy is converted into types of energy such as electricity, district heat and gas works gas.
Greenhouse gases are emitted by burning petrol and oil, from livestock and the use of fertilizers, and from cement production, among other things. An increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contributes to the greenhouse effect, which leads to climate change on earth. The most important greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and F-gases (HFC, PFC, SF6 and NF3 that are used, for example, as refrigerants). The specific greenhouse gases contribute differently to the greenhouse effect depending on their concentration and ability to absorb heat radiation. In order to be able to measure the total emissions, the values are converted into a common unit called CO2-equivalent.
Energy from nature, i.e. fossil energy in the form of oil and natural gas etc. and renewable energy in the form of biomass (including biodegradable waste) and wind power etc. Primary energy also comprises non-biodegradable waste.
Energy sources that are continuously renewed. A distinction is often made between energy sources that are inexhaustible - such as solar energy and wind energy - and those that are renewed relatively quickly - such as wood pellets and biogas.
The amount of greenhouse gas emitted in the supply chains for the Danish domestic final use, which includes household consumption, consumption in institutions etc. (NPISH), public consumption and investments.
Selected statistics on Energy and air emission accounts
Gross energy consumption for the Danish economy
The energy accounts are compiled on the basis of a number of sources.
Statistics Denmark's external trade statistics are used to decide the imports and exports of energy commodities. Statistics Denmark's' production statistics are used to decide the production of certain energy commodities, e.g. petrol, gas oil and fuel oil.
Statistics Denmark's census of the manufacturing industries consumption of energy is used as the source for the manufacturing industries consumption of energy.
Information about the industrial companies' reimbursement of energy taxes is used as a source in the calculation of the consumption of electricity, natural gas, gas oil and fuel oil within parts of the commercial and service sector. These data are collected from the Danish Tax Agency.
Meter data from Energinet is used to calculate electricity consumption. This data has been included from the publication in 2021.
Data from the Danish Energy Authority is used to decide the different inputs of energy in the energy sectors, i.e. production of electricity and heat. The statistics include input at the large-scale and small-scale power units and district heating plants. Furthermore, information from the Energy Authority on the consumption of energy in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and construction as well as private consumption (the households) is used as a source to the physical use of energy. In addition to this, a series of other sources is used to determine the specific values.
Information about the production of crude oil and natural gas in volumes as well as monetary values is also obtained from the Danish Energy Authority.
Greenhouse gas emissions from the Danish economy
The environmental accounts are based on: The air emissions accounts are based on technical information on emissions and emission inventories obtained from the DCE, Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, University of Aarhus. This information is supplemented by specific information on fuel oil consumption and emission of SO2 from Danish operated ships abroad. The break down by industries and households is based on information obtained from the national accounts. The emission accounts are further supplemented with information on Land use, Land use change and Forestry (LULUCF) as reported to UNFCCC by DCE.
Production of primary energy
The energy accounts are compiled on the basis of a number of sources.
Statistics Denmark's external trade statistics are used to decide the imports and exports of energy commodities. Statistics Denmark's' production statistics are used to decide the production of certain energy commodities, e.g. petrol, gas oil and fuel oil.
Statistics Denmark's census of the manufacturing industries consumption of energy is used as the source for the manufacturing industries consumption of energy.
Information about the industrial companies' reimbursement of energy taxes is used as a source in the calculation of the consumption of electricity, natural gas, gas oil and fuel oil within parts of the commercial and service sector. These data are collected from the Danish Tax Agency.
Meter data from Energinet is used to calculate electricity consumption. This data has been included from the publication in 2021.
Data from the Danish Energy Authority is used to decide the different inputs of energy in the energy sectors, i.e. production of electricity and heat. The statistics include input at the large-scale and small-scale power units and district heating plants. Furthermore, information from the Energy Authority on the consumption of energy in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and construction as well as private consumption (the households) is used as a source to the physical use of energy. In addition to this, a series of other sources is used to determine the specific values.
Information about the production of crude oil and natural gas in volumes as well as monetary values is also obtained from the Danish Energy Authority.
Consumption of renewable energy
The energy accounts are compiled on the basis of a number of sources.
Statistics Denmark's external trade statistics are used to decide the imports and exports of energy commodities. Statistics Denmark's' production statistics are used to decide the production of certain energy commodities, e.g. petrol, gas oil and fuel oil.
Statistics Denmark's census of the manufacturing industries consumption of energy is used as the source for the manufacturing industries consumption of energy.
Information about the industrial companies' reimbursement of energy taxes is used as a source in the calculation of the consumption of electricity, natural gas, gas oil and fuel oil within parts of the commercial and service sector. These data are collected from the Danish Tax Agency.
Meter data from Energinet is used to calculate electricity consumption. This data has been included from the publication in 2021.
Data from the Danish Energy Authority is used to decide the different inputs of energy in the energy sectors, i.e. production of electricity and heat. The statistics include input at the large-scale and small-scale power units and district heating plants. Furthermore, information from the Energy Authority on the consumption of energy in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and construction as well as private consumption (the households) is used as a source to the physical use of energy. In addition to this, a series of other sources is used to determine the specific values.
Information about the production of crude oil and natural gas in volumes as well as monetary values is also obtained from the Danish Energy Authority.
Sources of greenhouse gas emissions
The environmental accounts are based on: The air emissions accounts are based on technical information on emissions and emission inventories obtained from the DCE, Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, University of Aarhus. This information is supplemented by specific information on fuel oil consumption and emission of SO2 from Danish operated ships abroad. The break down by industries and households is based on information obtained from the national accounts. The emission accounts are further supplemented with information on Land use, Land use change and Forestry (LULUCF) as reported to UNFCCC by DCE.
Climate footprint of Danish consumption and investments
Here you can see how the climate footprint of Danish consumption and investments (’Global’) has developed over time, as well as how much of the footprint is left in Denmark and abroad.
These statistics are categorized as 'experimental statistics'. In the documentation, it appears more precisely what lies in the experimental status of the statistics. For example, the methods may not be fully tested or new data sources may be used.
The calculations of greenhouse gas emissions from Danish production to Danish final use use Statistics Denmark's input-output tables, which have been prepared in accordance with the "System of National Accounts 2008" (SNA08) Chapters 14 and 28 of the manual outline the framework for setting up supply-use tables and how these are used for setting up input-output tables.
In addition, the emission accounts from Statistics Denmark are used.
Information from the statistics "Foreign trade in goods" and "Balance of Payments" are used to split Danish imports by country of origin.
Data from EXIOBASE, version 3.8.2, is used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the imports that are included in Danish production, as well as from the production of imports directly for Danish final use.
EXIOBASE is a database of global, multi-regional, environmental economic IO tables constructed by collating national IO tables, macroeconomic aggregates and trade statistics and balancing them against each other. EXIOBASE's sector- and country-distributed greenhouse gas emissions are calculated by combining data on economic activities with emission factors from the TEAM model. Further details are described in the article Stadler et al, 2018. The development and maintenance of EXIOBASE is handled by a consortium consisting of NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), SERI (The Sustainable Europe Research Institute), Universiteit Leiden (Vienna University of Economics and Business) and 2 .-0 LCA Consultants.
On the statistics – documentation, sources and method
See the documentation of statistics to learn more:
The purpose of the statistics is to measure the global emission of greenhouse gases from the supply chains for Danish final use (Danish consumption, investment and export). It illustrates correlations between Danish final use and emissions of greenhouse gases from Danish and international production. Global emission of greenhouse gases from Danish consumption and investment constitutes Denmark's Climate Footprint. The statistic is experimental and have been prepared since 2021 in collaboration with the Danish Energy Agency, which uses it for the annual publication "Danmarks Globale Klimapåvirkning – Global Afrapportering".
The purpose of the Air Emission Account is to illustrate the emission of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants related to industry and households energy consumption and other activities. The accounts can be used for climate and environmental-economic analysis. The emission accounts are developed for 1990 and onwards according to EEA, System of Environmental Economic Accounting, which is a statistical standard published by the UN and several other international organizations provides the "State of the art" for Green National Accounts. The statistics is part of the Environmental-Economic Accounts for Denmark (Green National Accounts).
The energy accounts link data on energy with the national accounts. The energy accounts are based on the same definitions and classifications as the national accounts. This implies that the use of energy as described in the energy accounts is fully consistent with the description of the economic activity as described in the national accounts. In 1974, the first energy accounts for Denmark were made as a reaction to the first oil crisis. At the same time the accounts were made for the years back to 1966.
Dissemination of environmental multipliers is a service for users interested in the interaction between the environment and the economy. The multipliers connect environmental statistics with national accounts statistics at a detailed level and provides a picture of the effects that changes in economic final demand have on selected environmental variables. The environmental multipliers are aggregated measures of the total environmental effect on industries of specific changes in final demand in terms of waste generation, water consumption, generation of waste, CO2 emissions or other impacts.