Renewables provided record share of global electricity in 2024

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 9:26 AM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

For the archetypal time, renewable vigor positive nuclear — sources that don't straight emit greenhouse gases — generate more than 40 per cent of planetary request for electricity, says a caller study from an planetary probe group. 

Renewable powerfulness procreation provided a grounds 32 per cent of planetary energy past year, portion atomic powerfulness contributed 9 per cent, down somewhat from 9.1 per cent in 2023, a study by vigor think-tank Ember said connected Tuesday. Overall energy request grew 4 per cent, driven by vigor waves and information centres.

Solar vigor is doubling each 3 years globally, says Richard Black, argumentation caput astatine Ember Energy, a European probe group. Nearly fractional the maturation is successful China, but the curve is up successful galore regions, including California and Texas successful the U.S., Hungary, Spain, Chile and Pakistan, helium said.

Energy information fears, exacerbated by a commercialized warfare prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, could further boost request for renewable powerfulness this year, Ember energy and information expert Euan Graham told Reuters.

WATCH | Tariff threats reopen cleanable energy, pipeline debates: 

The tariffs person sent markets from vigor and equities plummeting and stoked concerns astir a planetary recession.

Graham said though it was excessively aboriginal to archer whether the tariff fallout would interaction energy request this year, renewable powerfulness could benefit.

"Countries are reasoning astir their information and vigor information much than ever before, and I deliberation that means homegrown renewable powerfulness similar upwind and star becomes much and much attractive," helium said.

The maturation of renewable powerfulness procreation — including wind, hydro and star — in the planetary energy premix successful 2024 bushed the erstwhile year's 30 per cent record, Ember's Global Electricity Review showed.

"Despite geopolitical and economical headwinds, the renewables manufacture delivered an further 858 TWh of procreation to the strategy past twelvemonth — more than the combined yearly energy depletion of the U.K. and France," Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance, said successful a connection accompanying the report.

WATCH | What if we enactment star panels connected each extortion successful the world? 

AI, electrification, vigor waves thrust up powerfulness demand

The emergence successful energy depletion for artificial intelligence, information centres, electrical vehicles and vigor pumps contributed 0.7 per cent of the planetary request maturation past year, the study showed.

Heat waves successful 2024 accrued energy request for cooling, which added a further 0.7 per cent, or 208 terrawatt hours (TWh), to the planetary total, it said. 

Electricity procreation from oil, gas and ember inactive climbed past twelvemonth with unprecedented vigor waves blistering the U.S., China and India, boosting request for cooling.

"That summation successful request during those precise blistery periods accounted for astir each of the summation successful fossil substance procreation past year," Black said.

WATCH | Delhi records all-time grounds somesthesia of 52.9 C: 

Gas powerfulness plants contributed 22 per cent of planetary energy production, small changed from 2023. Coal remained the largest root of generation, providing 34 per cent of the planetary share, down from 36 per cent.

Canada lags successful star and wind

Nicole Dusyk. elder argumentation advisor astatine the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a Canadian think-tank, says 70 per cent of Canada's energy comes from renewables, but the maturation of star and upwind is slower present than the planetary average. She suggests that's owed to the abundance of inexpensive hydroelectric resources that person already fixed Canada a precise cleanable grid. 

But with electrification growing, she says provinces request to region barriers to renewable growth.

"They are the cheapest signifier of electricity, and truthful if we summation the stock of upwind and star connected our grids, it volition thrust down [electricity] costs for Canadians," she said.