Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the gradual closure of Moscow’s gas pipelines and the subsequent surge in prices have prompted governments to rethink their energy policy to step up carbon-free energy.
According to a report by think tank Ember, combined together, “all clean sources of electricity [renouvelable et nucléaire] reached 39% of the world’s electricity, a new record”. The rest is covered by fossil fuels (gas, oil, coal), underline the authors of the report.
For its fourth annual Global Electricity Review, Ember drew on open electricity sector data from 78 countries representing 93% of global electricity demand.
The European Union leads the dance
In 2022, wind and solar energy have done well, reaching “a record 12% of the world’s electricity”, details the text. It was 5% in 2015. More than 60 countries draw more than 10% of their current from it now. The European Union leads the dance, with 22% of electricity from renewable sources and a 24% growth in solar energy compared to the previous year. This breakthrough made it possible to limit the use of coal, which nevertheless increased by 1.1%, as demand for electricity continued to grow.
“Despite this progress, coal has remained the world’s largest source of electricity, producing 36% of the world’s electricity in 2022”says the report.
The continued use of gas and coal to meet electricity demand has had the corollary of making “climb emissions [de gaz à effet de serre] to a new record »12 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2022 (+1.3%).
The experts in the report nevertheless consider that the year 2022 could be that of the “Peak in power sector emissions and last year of fossil fuel growth” in this sector. For 2023, they anticipate “a small decline in fossil generation (-0.3%), with larger declines in subsequent years as wind and solar deployment accelerates”.
“In this decisive decade for the climate, it is the beginning of the end of the fossil age”estimates the analyst and co-author of the report, Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, quoted in the press release.