Global Electricity Review

The 2020 Global Electricity Review reports a record 3% fall in global coal-fired electricity generation and a 2% drop in power sector CO2 emissions in 2019. While coal collapsed in the EU and US, generation rose in China, which now accounts for over 50% of global coal generation. Wind and solar generation grew by 15%, providing 8% of the world's electricity. However, the report argues that these declines are largely due to one-off factors and that current progress is insufficient to meet the IPCC's 1.5°C scenario, which would require coal generation to collapse by 11% annually until 2030.

• Global coal-fired electricity generation decreased by 3% in 2019, which contributed to a 2% reduction in power sector CO2 emissions. These represent the most significant declines since at least 1990.
• China's coal generation increased by 2% in 2019, making it responsible for more than half of the world's coal generation for the first time. Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, China's coal generation has risen by 17%, while the rest of the world's has fallen by 9%.
• Wind and solar generation grew by 15% in 2019, accounting for 8% of global electricity. While this growth rate matches the compound annual growth needed to meet the Paris climate agreement, the rate of growth is actually the lowest recorded this century.
• The decline in coal is not yet a structural 'new normal' because it relied on one-off factors: a decade-low increase in electricity demand, nuclear restarts in Japan and South Korea, and coal-to-gas switching in the US and EU.
• The European Union saw a record 24% collapse in coal generation in 2019, with wind and solar generation exceeding coal for the first time. Since 2007, EU coal generation has halved and power sector emissions fell by 43%.
• The United States experienced a record 16% fall in coal generation in 2019, the lowest level since 1975. However, this was largely offset by a switch to gas, with gas generation increasing by 8% and now making up 38% of the electricity mix.
• India recorded its first-ever decline in coal generation (3%) since at least 1990, driven by weak economic growth and a record monsoon season that boosted hydro generation by 14%.
• To limit climate change to 1.5°C, the IPCC's median scenario requires global coal generation to collapse by 11% per year until 2030. The IEA's Sustainable Development Scenario is less ambitious, requiring annual falls of 4% from 2018 to 2025.

APA

Ember (2020). Global Electricity Review. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Ember-2020GlobalElectricityReview-Web-1.pdf

Chicago

Ember. Global Electricity Review. 2020. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Ember-2020GlobalElectricityReview-Web-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Global Electricity Review |date=March 2020 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Ember-2020GlobalElectricityReview-Web-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2020global, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Global Electricity Review}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/Ember-2020GlobalElectricityReview-Web-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }