Electricity Source Trends

In 2022, solar and wind power continued their rapid growth, with solar being the fastest-growing source and wind recording the largest absolute increase. Conversely, nuclear power saw a significant decline, primarily driven by outages in France and Germany. Coal generation reached an all-time record high of 10,186 TWh, although its overall share of the global electricity mix slightly decreased. Hydro power rebounded after a poor 2021 but remains below 2020 levels due to droughts in Europe. Fossil gas generation remained relatively stable despite supply chain disruptions. To align with the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario by 2030, the report argues that solar and wind must sustain high annual growth rates, coal and unabated gas must be phased out, and nuclear power must grow more rapidly than its recent historical average.

• Solar power was the fastest-growing electricity source for the 18th consecutive year, with global generation increasing by 24% (+245 TWh) to reach 1,284 TWh in 2022. Its share of the global electricity mix rose from 3.7% in 2021 to 4.5% in 2022.
• Wind power recorded the largest absolute increase of any electricity source in 2022, growing by 17% (+312 TWh) to reach 2,160 TWh. Its global market share increased from 6.6% in 2021 to 7.6% in 2022.
• Global coal generation hit an all-time record high of 10,186 TWh in 2022, producing 36% of the world's electricity. Despite this record, its share of the global mix fell by 0.5 percentage points from 36.2% in 2021 to 35.7% in 2022, attributed to the growth of wind and solar.
• Nuclear electricity generation fell by 4.7% (-129 TWh) in 2022, the second largest year-on-year decrease ever recorded. This decline was largely driven by maintenance shutdowns in France (-82 TWh) and Germany (-33 TWh), as well as reactor shutdowns due to the invasion of Ukraine (-21 TWh).
• Hydro power generation rose by 1.7% (+73 TWh) to 4,311 TWh in 2022, though its global share fell slightly to 15.1% due to demand growth. While Brazil and Viet Nam saw increases, the EU experienced a 66 TWh (-19%) drop due to historic summer droughts.
• Fossil gas generation remained nearly stable, decreasing by 0.2% (-12 TWh) to 6,336 TWh in 2022, accounting for 22% of global electricity. The US saw a significant increase of 116 TWh (+7.4%) as it moved away from coal.
• To align with the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario for 1.5C, solar generation must grow by 25% annually to reach 7,552 TWh by 2030, and wind must increase by 17% annually to reach 7,840 TWh. Coal's share in the power mix must be reduced to 12% by 2030, requiring an 8.3% annual decline.

APA

Ember (2023). Electricity Source Trends. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-source-trends-ger2023/

Chicago

Ember. Electricity Source Trends. 2023. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-source-trends-ger2023/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Electricity Source Trends |date=12 April 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-source-trends-ger2023/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2023electricity, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Electricity Source Trends}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-source-trends-ger2023/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }