Energy and economic growth in Europe. The last two centuries

The aim of this article is to analyze the role of energy in long term economic growth. Particular attention will be paid to the relation between energy and GDP. Energy productivity, that is the ratio of output to energy (Y/E), will be reconstructed and, through a decomposition analysis, I will try to show the relative importance both of rising consumption and of changes in the productivity of energy in growth of per capita output. [JEL Classification: N130, N140, N730, N740, O130]