Global Electricity Review

The 2020 Global Electricity Review by Ember analyzes global electricity generation changes in 2019, highlighting a record 3% fall in global coal-fired generation and a corresponding 2% drop in power sector CO2 emissions. While the EU and US saw significant coal collapses, China's coal generation rose, making it responsible for over half of global coal generation for the first time. Wind and solar generation grew by 15%, though the report notes that this growth rate is slowing and may be insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals without concerted global effort.

• Global coal-fired electricity generation decreased by 3% (-259 TWh) in 2019, which contributed to a 2% reduction in power sector CO2 emissions. These represent the largest declines in both metrics since at least 1990.
• China's coal generation increased by 2% in 2019, resulting in China being responsible for 50.2% of global coal generation for the first time. Since 2015, 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% (+270 TWh) in 2019, accounting for 8% of the world's electricity. Despite the volume increase, the 15% growth rate was the lowest recorded this century.
• The European Union experienced a record 24% collapse in coal generation in 2019, with coal now at half its 2007 peak and making up 14% of the electricity mix. This led to a 13% fall in power sector emissions, the largest this century.
• In the United States, coal generation fell by 16% (-180 TWh) in 2019, the largest fall on record and the fifth consecutive year of decline. This was largely replaced by a 113 TWh increase in gas generation.
• India saw its first recorded fall in coal generation, decreasing by 3%. This was attributed to a pause in electricity demand growth, a record monsoon season increasing hydro generation by 14%, and new solar capacity reaching a record 12 GW.
• Global electricity demand grew by 1.4% in 2019, the slowest increase since the 2009 recession, driven by low GDP growth (3%) and mild winter weather in the US and EU.
• To meet the IPCC's 1.5C median scenario, global coal generation must collapse by 11% per year until 2030. The IEA's Sustainable Development Scenario requires 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} }