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The new edition of the Global Electricity Review 2025 Report, published by EMBER, provides the comprehensive overview of developments in global electricity generation in 2024 analyzing electricity data from 215 countries.

In 2024, low-carbon power (renewables plus nuclear) accounted for 40.9% of global electricity generation, fueled by record growth in renewable energy, particularly solar. Changes in weather patterns have led to a significant increase in electricity demand compared to 2023, which led to an increase in generation from fossil fuels. This, in turn, pushed power sector emissions to their highest level ever.

Hydropower remained the largest source of low-carbon electricity in 2024, accounting for 14.3%, followed by nuclear at 9%. However, wind (8.1%) and solar (6.9%) made significant strides, surpassing hydropower combined for the first time, while nuclear's share fell to its lowest level in 45 years.

Solar power set new records in 2024, emerging as the driving force behind the global energy transition. 2000 TWh of solar generation has been reached, doubling in the last three years. China is responsible for about 53% of the increase in solar generation.

The increase in global fossil generation in 2024 (+245 TWh) was virtually identical to that seen in 2023 (+246 TWh) despite the substantial difference in rates of demand growth. The figure above illustrates electricity demand, the contribution of all power sources to the generation in 2024 compared to 2023. As can be seen, coal with 34.4% is still the largest single source of global generation, followed by gas (22%). Although the share of coal among all energy sources decreased by nearly 1% in 2024, global coal generation grew by 1.4% (+149 TWh) with 74% of this increase coming from China. In 2024, 40 countries generated at least a fifth of their electricity from coal (59 countries in 2015).

Seven largest power consumers in 2024 – China, USA, European Union, India, Russia, Japan and Brazil – account for 72% of global electricity demand. India became the third largest generator of electricity from wind and solar overtaking Germany in 2024.  In Russia, wind and solar account for just 1% of the country's electricity mix, while fossil fuels make up 64%, with coal and gas generation reaching a record high in 2024. Japan relies even more on fossil fuels, with 68% of its electricity coming from gas and coal, despite being the fourth-largest solar power producer globally.

In general, the Report highlights the significant progress in the global energy transition led by rapid solar expansion and signaling a permanent decline in fossil fuel generation. While fossil generation increased in 2024 due to temperature fluctuations, clean generation met 96% of the demand rise, showing that the era of fossil fuel dominance is ending. Solar power grew by nearly a third, cementing its role as the key driver of the energy transition, with major markets like China, India, and the EU leading, and new ones emerging in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

By the Editorial Board                                                                                                                                                        Download PDF version