Primary energy

Primary energy refers to all naturally occurring energy sources in their original and unaltered form. The term primary energy includes renewable energies such as solar energy, wind and water power, geothermal energy, tidal energy and biomass (animal and vegetable materials such as wood), but also natural coal, natural gas, oil and uranium deposits.

If primary energy is converted or processed, it is called secondary energy. In order to make primary energy usable as secondary energy, the processing usually entails energy losses. In some cases, however, energy is also gained by processing the primary energy, as the energy source becomes more usable. An example of this is the drying of wood before combustion. If the secondary energy is made available to the end user, for example in the form of electricity from the socket, this is referred to as useful or final energy. During the transfer to the withdrawal point, losses due to the transfer generally have to be expected once again.

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