Powering through the heat: how 2024 heatwaves reshaped electricity demand

In 2024, extreme heatwaves in China, the US, and India drove record air conditioning use, significantly increasing electricity demand and forcing a surge in coal and gas generation to meet the shortfall. The report highlights that cooling demand accounted for 37% of the US demand increase (April-September), 31% in China, and 19% in India for the same period. In China, coal generation grew by 10% in September 2024, while in the US, coal rose by 6.4% in June. The authors argue that relying on fossil fuels to meet cooling needs creates a feedback loop that accelerates climate change, recommending a transition to energy-efficient ACs, rooftop solar, and improved retail pricing to enhance grid resilience.

• Extreme heatwaves in 2024 led to a measurable increase in electricity demand across the world's three largest power markets, with cooling needs contributing 37% of the year-on-year demand increase in the US, 31% in China, and 19% in India from April to September 2024.
• Cooling demand acted as a primary driver of electricity demand growth in specific peak months: it accounted for the entire year-on-year demand increase in the US in June 2024 and doubled the year-on-year demand increase in China during August and September 2024.
• In China, heatwave-driven demand led to a significant surge in coal generation, with coal growth in August and September 2024 accounting for 59% of the country's total annual increase in coal generation.
• The US experienced a rise in both coal and gas generation during the June 2024 heatwaves; coal generation increased by 6.4% year-on-year, which limited the overall annual decline of US coal generation to 3.5%.
• In India, coal was the primary source used to meet the surge in demand during the May 2024 heatwave, covering 70% of the year-on-year demand increase.
• The report identifies a feedback loop where relying on fossil fuels to meet cooling demand exacerbates climate change, which in turn increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves.

APA

Rangelova, K., Jones, D., & Fulghum, N. (2025). Powering through the heat: how 2024 heatwaves reshaped electricity demand. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/EN-Ember-Report_Powering-through-the-heat-how-2024-heatwaves-reshaped-electricity-demand.pdf

Chicago

Rangelova, Kostantsa, Dave Jones, and Nicolas Fulghum. Powering through the heat: how 2024 heatwaves reshaped electricity demand. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/EN-Ember-Report_Powering-through-the-heat-how-2024-heatwaves-reshaped-electricity-demand.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rangelova |first1=Kostantsa |last2=Jones |first2=Dave |last3=Fulghum |first3=Nicolas |title=Powering through the heat: how 2024 heatwaves reshaped electricity demand |publisher=Ember |date=5 March 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/EN-Ember-Report_Powering-through-the-heat-how-2024-heatwaves-reshaped-electricity-demand.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rangelova2025powering, author = {Rangelova, Kostantsa and Jones, Dave and Fulghum, Nicolas}, title = {{Powering through the heat: how 2024 heatwaves reshaped electricity demand}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/EN-Ember-Report_Powering-through-the-heat-how-2024-heatwaves-reshaped-electricity-demand.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }