Ember sees 2022 as »turning point« in global electricity production

British think tank Ember has released its fourth report on global electricity production. According to the »Global Electricity Review 2023,« the average of CO2 emissions for electricity generation last year was 436 grams per kilowatt-hour, the best figure achieved to date. In addition, Ember expects emissions to continue to decline in absolute terms. 2022 would be »remembered as a turning point in the world’s transition to clean electricity.«
Although global electricity consumption increased by 694 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2022, according to the report, 80 percent (557 TWh) of this additional demand was met by growth in generation from wind and solar power: Wind increased by 312 TWh, solar by 245 TWh. Electricity generation from hydropower increased by a much smaller 73 TWh, mainly due to dry weather in many countries. For the same reason, as well as the shutdown of plants in Germany and Belgium, global nuclear power production – which Ember also counts as »clean« energy – fell by 129 TWh in 2022. Coal-fired power, on the other hand, increased by 108 TWh, gas lost 12 TWH, and other fossil sources gained 86 TWh. In 2023, Ember predicts a slight decline in fossil power production, which will accelerate in the following years.
In 2022, however, fossil fuels still clearly dominated global electricity production of about 28,300 TWh, with a total share of 61 percent, including 36 percent coal, 22 percent gas, and three percent other fossil fuels. Nuclear power contributed nine percent of total production. Hydropower remained the most important renewable energy source in the electricity sector, accounting for 15 percent of total generation, followed by wind at 7.6 percent and solar at 4.5 percent. Biomass and other renewables accounted for 2.8 percent.
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