Solar energy with record growth

08.04.2025

Source: E & M powernews

Solar energy has become the engine of the global energy transition. Both electricity generation and installed capacity reached new records in 2024.

In the past three years, global electricity generation from solar energy has doubled. At the same time, electricity demand increased significantly in 2024 compared to the previous year. Technologies such as AI, data centers, electric vehicles and heat pumps have contributed significantly to this. However, the main reason for the growth in electricity demand in 2024 compared to 2023 was the increasing use of air conditioning systems. This is one of the key findings of the "Global Electricity Review 2025" presented by the British think tank Ember on April 8.

In 2024, 858 TWh more electricity was generated from renewable energies than in the previous year. This exceeds the previous record from 2022 of 577 TWh by 49%. The share of renewable energies in total global electricity generation reached 31.9% in 2024. Nuclear energy increased slightly by 2.5% to 2,768 TWh. Nuclear energy therefore accounted for 9.0% of global electricity consumption of 30,856 TWh in 2024. Fossil fuels generated 18,247 TWh of electricity. At 59.1 percent of the total amount of electricity generated, this was the lowest share since the 1940s.

Despite the strong growth in solar energy, hydropower was still the strongest renewable energy source globally in 2024 with a share of 14.3 percent - followed by wind with 8.1 percent and solar with 6.9 percent. Although the share of coal decreased from 35.2% in 2023 to 34.4% in 2024, coal was still the energy source with the largest contribution to meeting global electricity demand. Despite a slight increase in absolute terms, the share of natural gas fell by 0.5 percentage points to 22.0% in 2024.

China with the strongest growth in solar energy

Solar energy was the source of generation with the strongest growth for the 20th year in a row. More than half (53%) of the global increase in solar energy recorded in 2024 is attributable to developments in China. This means that most of the 6.6% increase in China's total electricity demand compared to 2023 was covered by renewable energy. Despite this strong increase, 5,864 TWh of electricity was still generated from coal in China in 2024 - out of a total demand of 10,066 TWh. Measured in absolute terms, this is a new record. Although the share of coal in the country's electricity generation has decreased in recent years, it still amounted to 58% in 2024. This means that China accounted for 55% of global electricity generation from coal.

More electricity from solar energy than from coal in the EU-27 for the first time

Electricity demand in the EU-27 grew by 30 TWh or 1.1% year-on-year to 2,727 TWh in 2024. Electricity generation from solar energy increased by 53 TWh or 21%. This means that the EU-27 accounted for 11.2% of the global increase in solar power generation. Electricity generation from wind increased by 8 TWh in 2024 compared to the previous year. Hydropower recorded an increase of 32 TWh (+ 9.6 percent) and nuclear energy 29 TWh (+ 4.6 percent).

In contrast to this positive development in renewable energies and nuclear energy, electricity generation based on natural gas and coal decreased significantly. Electricity generation from natural gas fell for the fifth year in a row, by 26 TWh or 5.6% in 2024. Electricity generation from coal fell by 50 TWh in the EU-27 in 2024. This was a drop of 16% and marked the largest decline in an energy sector worldwide. Coal still accounted for 9.8 percent of total electricity generation in the EU-27. In 2024, electricity generation in the EU based on fossil fuels accounted for 29%, the same share as wind and solar energy (including 18 percentage points for wind and 11 percentage points for solar). Nuclear energy contributed 24 percent to electricity generation. Hydropower and other renewable energies, such as biomass, accounted for 18 percent.

At 7.1 MWh, per capita electricity demand in China in 2024 was almost twice as high as the global average of 3.8 MWh. The highest electricity consumption per capita among the major consumer countries is reported for Canada at 15.5 MWh - followed by 12.7 MWh for the USA. Germany comes in at 5.9 MWh.

The 118-page Global Electricity Review 2025 by Ember can be downloaded from the Internet.

Author: Hans-Wilhelm Schiffer