This is the first time that renewable energy and nuclear energy that does not directly emit greenhouse gases generate more than 40% of global electricity demand, a new report from an international research team said.
Energy Think-Tank Ember reported Tuesday that renewable energy generated a record 32% of global electricity, while nuclear power contributed 9%, a slight decrease from 9.1% in 2023. Overall electricity demand driven by heat waves and data centers grew by 4%.
Richard Black, head of policy at Ember Energy, a European research group, said global solar doubles every three years. He said the growth in China is nearly half, but the curve is in many regions, including the United States, Hungary, Spain, Chile and Pakistan in California and Texas.
Euan Graham, an analyst at Enber Electric and data, told Reuters that concerns over energy security have exacerbated a trade war over a full-scale tariff by U.S. President Donald Trump, which could further raise demand for renewable energy.
Advocates of ongoing tariff threats say it is time for Canada to focus on improving the transition to clean energy. But others say it is also an opportunity to build more pipelines in Canada to improve oil markets outside the U.S.
Tariffs have caused energy and stock markets to plummet and have raised concerns about a global recession.
Graham said that while it is too early to judge whether the consequences of the tariffs will affect electricity demand this year, renewable energy may benefit.
“Countries are considering their safety and energy security more than ever, and I think that means indigenous renewables like wind and solar are becoming increasingly attractive,” he said.
Ember's Global Electricity Review shows that growth in renewable energy generation, including wind, hydraulic and solar, beats the previous year's record by 30% in 2024.
“Despite geopolitical and economic headwinds, the renewable energy industry provided the system with 858 TWH generation last year instead of annual electricity consumption in the UK and France,” Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewable Energy Alliance, said in a statement to the report.
Scientists set out to explore the impact of covering every roof on Earth with solar panels. Their research found that swapping traditional energy for rooftop solar can actually cool the earth – reducing global temperatures up to 0.13°C.
AI, electrification, heat wave drives power demand
The report shows that electricity consumption in artificial intelligence, data centers, electric vehicles and heat pumps increased by 0.7% of global demand growth last year.
It said the heat wave in 2024 increased electricity demand for cooling, which increased by another 0.7% or 208 Terrawatt hours (TWH).
Last year, oil, gas and coal power generation still climbed, with blank heat waves bubbling the United States, China and India, increasing demand for cooling.
“The increase in demand during those very hot times has caused almost all the increase in fossil fuel production last year,” Black said.
Delhi recorded record temperatures for the second consecutive day at 52.9°C and several regions in India have issued red alert health notifications due to extremely high heat.
Natural gas power plants account for 22% of global electricity production, with little change. Coal remains the largest source of power generation, providing 34% of the global share, down from 36%.
Canada lags in the sun and wind
Nicole Dusyk. Senior policy adviser at the Canadian think tank International Institute for Sustainable Development said 70% of Canada's electricity comes from renewable energy, but here solar and wind are growing slower than the global average. She suggests this is due to the abundant cheap water and electricity resources that have made Canada a very clean grid.
But as electrification grows, she says provinces need to remove barriers to renewable growth.
“They are the cheapest forms of electricity, so if we increase the share of wind and sun on the grid, it will gradually decline [electricity] Canadian fees. ” she said.
