The Big Picture

The report 'The Big Picture' by Ember analyzes the global electricity transition in 2024, arguing that 2023 likely marked the peak of fossil fuel generation and power sector emissions. It highlights the dominant role of solar energy, the emerging drivers of electricity demand such as data centers and electrification, and provides case studies on the rapid transition strategies of China, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

• The global power sector likely reached its peak of fossil fuel generation and emissions in 2023. While emissions grew by 1% in 2023 due to droughts reducing hydropower, Ember forecasts a decline in 2024 as clean generation growth outweighs rising electricity demand.
• More than half of the world's economies (118 power sectors) are at least five years past their peak in fossil fuel electricity generation, representing 43% of global electricity demand. OECD countries peaked collectively in 2007 and have seen a 28% reduction in power sector emissions since then.
• Solar energy is the primary driver of the clean energy revolution, with 2023 capacity additions reaching 444 GW, which was 76% higher than in 2022. Global solar PV manufacturing capacity is expected to reach 1,100 GW by the end of 2024, which is sufficient to meet the IEA Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario.
• Global electricity demand is entering a period of faster growth, with a forecast increase of 3.3% (+968 TWh) in 2024. This growth is driven by a bounceback in OECD demand and the expansion of five key technologies: electric vehicles (EVs), heat pumps, electrolysers for green hydrogen, data centres, and air conditioners.
• Tripling global renewable electricity capacity by 2030 could potentially halve power sector emissions by 2030. This would involve adding 14,000 TWh of annual generation compared to 2022 levels, reducing fossil power generation by 6,570 TWh (37%).
• China, Brazil, and the Netherlands serve as models for rapid transition. China is the global leader in absolute wind and solar generation; Brazil has used renewables to meet all new demand over the last decade; and the Netherlands reduced fossil generation from over 80% in 2015 to 49% in 2023.

APA

Ember (2024). The Big Picture. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture/

Chicago

Ember. The Big Picture. 2024. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=The Big Picture |date=8 May 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2024big, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{The Big Picture}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }