Illuminating the Future of Energy

…The average energy consumption on earth is 56 kilowatt-hours per day per person. You can visualize this personal energy consumption in terms of light bulbs: 56 kilowatt-hours per day is the energy consumption of 56 ordinary 40-watt bulbs left switched on all the time. The world

The countries with the highest power consumption per area are those, like Bahrain, that have high population density and high per-capita consumption. Bahrain consumes more than 10 watts per square meter, or 11 square feet. The lowest are countries like Botswana and Sudan, at less than 0.01 watt per square meter.

Then there are those that, while widely varying in their population densities and energy consumption, fall in the middle. Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Mexico all have a power consumption per unit land-area roughly equal to the world average, about 0.1 watt per square meter. China, in 1990, was close to the average, but it has since moved considerably away from that line.

The United States consumes power per land-area at a rate three times the average. Even though they are more energy efficient, densely populated industrial countries like Germany, Britain and Japan have even bigger power consumption per area.

Why is it useful to know how much power is consumed by land-area?

NY Times