Et energiregnskap for Fastlands-Norge 1835–2012

Abstract

A characteristic feature of the pre-industrial societies was that they relied on limited energy resources. It was only by using fossil fuels and new technologies that these societies could move the boundaries that the organic economy had set for production and consumption. Norwegian energy history is, from the 1900th Century on, about the movement of those boundaries and is composed of two stories. One deals with the mainland economy, the other deals with the foreign economy (the merchant marine, etc.). These two stories are closely connected but are nonetheless dissimilar.In this article, we present a sketch of the first story about energy consumption in the mainland economy, in the form of an energy accounting for the Norwegian mainland 1835-2012. The accounts show the accumulated consumption of energy from nine selected energy carriers in Norway. Our work is the first overall accounting 1835-2012, and gives new insights into the field of energy consumption research. Specifically, we provide a new accounting of Norwegian energy consumption in the years 1835-1900 and 1950-1976. In the result section we first present figures for energy consumption 1835-2012. Secondly, we briefly outline an energy history for the foreign sector. We round out the result section with a brief reflection on whether the Norwegian energy history is so deviant from other countries that we can talk about a separate Norwegian development.

Does natural resource extraction compromise future well-being? Norwegian Genuine Savings, 1865-2018

“…Though access to natural resources and HC were favorable for industrialization, a lack of cheap energy sources and domestic capital supply harmed economic development during the 19th century (Grytten, 2020;Lindmark and Minde, 2018;Semmingsen, 1960). Instead of expanding its manufacturing sector, Norway specialized in shipping and natural resource exports.…”

“…A major shift in the industrial structure was only observed in the early 1900s, when the construction of the first hydroelectric plants provided Norway with extremely cost-efficient and environmental friendly electricity (Da Silva et al, 2016;Grytten et al, 2020;Lindmark and Minde, 2018). The access to cheap energy sources provided Norway with a comparative advantage in energy-intensive industries and made the country attractive to foreign investments.…”