Based on the formation of a stagnation line at the magnetopause the electromagnetic energy transport from the solar wind into the dayside magnetosphere is analyzed. The resulting energy flux is proportional to v∞B∞² sin² (θ∞‐ ϕ∞), where v∞and B∞are the solar wind speed and magnetic field and θ∞‐ ϕ∞is the angle between the IMF and the stagnation line projected into the interplanetary space. A stagnation line parallel to the separator gives approximately the sin4(θ∞/2) energy flux dep