{"id":106367,"date":"2025-04-11T02:14:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T00:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=106367"},"modified":"2025-04-09T10:05:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T08:05:25","slug":"world-surpasses-40-clean-power-as-renewables-see-record-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/energy\/world-surpasses-40-clean-power-as-renewables-see-record-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"World surpasses 40% clean power as renewables see record rise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Solar the main driver of renewables growth, with generation doubling in three years. Clean power set to outpace fast demand growth, leading to a decline in fossil generation in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world reached a new milestone as low-carbon sources \u2013 renewables and nuclear \u2013 provided 40.9% of the world\u2019s electricity generation in 2024, passing the 40% mark for the first time since the 1940s, according to a report by global energy think tank Ember.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renewables were the main driver of overall clean growth, adding a record 858 TWh in 2024, 49% more than the previous high in 2022. Solar was the largest contributor for the third year running, adding 474 TWh to reach a share of 6.9%. Solar was the fastest-growing power source (+29%) for the 20th year in a row. Solar electricity has doubled in just three years, providing more than 2,000 TWh of electricity in 2024. Wind generation also grew to 8.1% of global electricity, while hydro\u2019s share remained steady at 14% \u2013 the single largest renewable source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSolar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,\u201d said Phil MacDonald, Ember\u2019s managing director. \u201cPaired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world\u2019s ever-increasing demand for electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full report<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u00a9 EMBER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ember\u2019s sixth annual Global Electricity Review<\/a> provides the first comprehensive overview of the global power system in 2024 based on country-level data. It is published today alongside the world\u2019s first open dataset on electricity generation in 2024, covering 88 countries that account for 93% of global electricity demand, as well as historical data for 215 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The analysis finds that, despite the rise in renewables, fossil generation saw a small 1.4% increase in 2024 due to surging electricity demand, pushing global power sector emissions up 1.6% to an all-time high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heatwaves were the main driver of the rise in fossil generation, accounting for almost a fifth (+0.7%) of the increase in global electricity demand in 2024 (+4.0%), mainly through additional use of cooling. Without these temperature effects, fossil generation would have risen by only 0.2%, as clean electricity generation met 96% of the demand growth not caused by hotter temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAmid the noise, it\u2019s essential to focus on the real signal,\u201d continued Mr MacDonald. \u201cHotter weather drove the fossil generation increase in 2024, but we\u2019re very unlikely to see a similar jump in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from weather effects, increasing use of electricity for AI, data centres, electric vehicles and heat pumps is already contributing to global demand growth. Combined, growing use of these technologies accounted for a 0.7% increase in global electricity demand in 2024, double what they contributed five years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The future of the global power system is being shaped in Asia, with China and India at the heart of the energy transition. Their increasing reliance on renewables to power demand growth marks a shift that will redefine the global power sector and accelerate the decline of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Xunpeng Shi | President of the International Society for Energy Transition Studies (ISETS)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Clean power set to grow faster than demand<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The report shows that clean generation growth is set to outpace faster-rising demand in the coming years, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil generation. The current expected growth in clean generation would be sufficient to meet a demand increase of 4.1% per year to 2030, which is above expectations for demand growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world is watching how technologies like AI and EVs will drive electricity demand,\u201d continued Mr MacDonald. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that booming solar and wind are comfortably set to deliver, and those expecting fossil fuel generation to keep rising will be disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond emerging technologies, the growth trajectories of the world\u2019s largest emerging economies will play a crucial role in defining the global outlook. China and India are already shifting towards meeting their growing electricity needs with clean energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than half of the increase in solar generation in 2024 was in China, with China\u2019s clean generation growth meeting 81% of its demand increase in 2024. India\u2019s solar capacity additions in 2024 doubled compared to 2023. These two countries are at the forefront of the drive to clean power and will help tip the balance towards a decline in fossil generation at a global level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCleantech, not fossil fuels, is now the driving force of economic development,\u201d concluded Mr MacDonald. \u201cThe era of fossil growth is coming to an end, even in a world of fast-rising demand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n