Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2023

Global power sector emissions plateaued in the first half of 2023, increasing by only 0.2%. While wind and solar generation grew and increased their share of the global power mix, a historic decline in hydropower due to droughts—particularly in China—prevented a more significant emissions drop. Low electricity demand in high-income economies further suppressed emissions growth.

• Global power sector emissions remained nearly flat in the first half of 2023, rising by only 0.2% (+12 million tonnes of CO2) compared to the same period in 2022. This plateau is historically significant as power sector emissions typically rise structurally unless interrupted by major economic shocks.
• Wind and solar power increased their combined share of global electricity to 14.3% in H1-2023, up from 12.8% in H1-2022. However, their growth rates slowed: wind grew by 10% (compared to 16% in H1-2022) and solar grew by 16% (compared to 26% in H1-2022).
• Global hydropower generation experienced a historic decline of 8.5% (-177 TWh) in the first half of 2023 due to droughts, with China accounting for approximately three-quarters of this fall. This deficit forced a slight increase in fossil fuel generation; without this hydro drop, power sector emissions would have fallen by 2.9%.
• Global electricity demand grew by only 0.4% in H1-2023, significantly lower than the 2012-2022 annual average of 2.6%. This was driven by demand decreases in Japan (-5.6%), the EU (-4.6%), the US (-3.4%), and South Korea (-1.4%), as well as lower-than-expected growth in India (3.1%).
• China dominated the growth of clean energy in H1-2023, accounting for 91% of global wind power growth and 43% of global solar generation growth. Despite this, China's power sector emissions rose by 7.9% (+173 mtCO2) because coal generation increased by 8% to a record high to compensate for the hydro deficit.
• The European Union saw a 17% drop in power sector emissions (-59 mtCO2) due to a combination of falling electricity demand and a dramatic 17% decrease in fossil fuel generation, with coal generation falling by 23%.
• The United States experienced an 8.6% decline in power sector emissions (-64 mtCO2), driven by a 27% drop in coal generation resulting from a switch to gas and a 3.4% decrease in electricity demand.

APA

Wiatros-Motyka, M., Fulghum, N., Broadbent, H., Jones, D., Bruce-Lockhart, C., MacDonald, P., & Ewen, M. (2023). Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2023. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/EN_Global-Electricity-Mid-Year-Insights-2023_02102023.pdf

Chicago

Wiatros-Motyka, Małgorzata, Nicolas Fulghum, Hannah Broadbent, Dave Jones, Chelsea Bruce-Lockhart, Phil MacDonald, and Matt Ewen. Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2023. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/EN_Global-Electricity-Mid-Year-Insights-2023_02102023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wiatros-Motyka |first1=Małgorzata |last2=Fulghum |first2=Nicolas |last3=Broadbent |first3=Hannah |last4=Jones |first4=Dave |last5=Bruce-Lockhart |first5=Chelsea |last6=MacDonald |first6=Phil |last7=Ewen |first7=Matt |title=Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2023 |publisher=Ember |date=September 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/EN_Global-Electricity-Mid-Year-Insights-2023_02102023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wiatrosmotyka2023global, author = {Wiatros-Motyka, Małgorzata and Fulghum, Nicolas and Broadbent, Hannah and Jones, Dave and Bruce-Lockhart, Chelsea and MacDonald, Phil and Ewen, Matt}, title = {{Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2023}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/EN_Global-Electricity-Mid-Year-Insights-2023_02102023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }