2024 in review

In 2024, clean power generation reached a milestone of 40.9% of global electricity, driven by record growth in renewables, particularly solar. However, extreme heatwaves increased global electricity demand to over 30,000 TWh, leading to a small increase in fossil fuel generation and a record high of 14.6 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions from the power sector.

• Clean electricity's share of global generation reached 40.9% in 2024, up from 39.4% in 2023, marking the first time since the 1940s that low-carbon sources provided more than 40% of global electricity. Wind (8.1%) and solar (6.9%) combined to exceed hydropower (14.3%) for the first time. Nuclear power's share fell to a 45-year low in 2024, providing 9.0% of global electricity.
• Renewable power sources added a record 858 TWh of generation in 2024, a 49% increase over the 2022 record of 577 TWh. Solar power was the primary driver, increasing by 474 TWh (+29%) to reach 2,131 TWh, while wind and hydropower each grew by 182 TWh. China accounted for 72% of the global rebound in hydro generation.
• Global electricity demand grew by 4.0% (+1,172 TWh) in 2024, exceeding 30,000 TWh for the first time. This growth was heavily influenced by temperature; heatwaves increased cooling demand by 238 TWh, while milder winters reduced heating demand by 29 TWh. Without these temperature impacts, demand growth would have been 3.3% (+963 TWh).
• Fossil fuel generation increased by 245 TWh (+1.4%) in 2024, causing power sector emissions to reach a record 14.6 billion tonnes of CO2 (+1.6%). This increase was primarily driven by temperature-related demand; clean generation covered 96% of non-temperature demand growth. In the US, gas generation growth accounted for 57% of the global increase in gas generation.
• Regional trends in fossil generation varied: China saw an increase of 116 TWh (lower than its five-year average), India's grew by 67 TWh, and the US increased by 34 TWh. Conversely, the EU experienced a decline in fossil generation of 75 TWh as clean electricity growth outpaced demand.

APA

Ember (2025). 2024 in review. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2024-in-review/

Chicago

Ember. 2024 in review. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2024-in-review/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=2024 in review |date=8 April 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2024-in-review/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember20252024, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{2024 in review}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2024-in-review/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }