Electricity Transition in 2022

In 2022, global electricity reached its lowest emissions intensity ever at 436 gCO2/kWh, with wind and solar hitting a record 12% of generation. Despite this, total power sector CO2 emissions reached a record high of 12,431 mtCO2 because wind and solar growth could not fully keep pace with a 2.5% increase in global electricity demand. This gap was filled by coal and other fossils, with coal generation rising by 108 TWh to a record 10,186 TWh. While clean electricity sources other than wind and solar saw their first year-on-year decline since 2011 due to nuclear outages and droughts, 2022 is characterized as an 'accelerator year' due to policy shifts like the EU's REPowerEU and the US Inflation Reduction Act.

• Global electricity generation reached a record low emissions intensity of 436 gCO2/kWh in 2022, driven by wind and solar reaching a record 12% share of global electricity. Solar generation added 245 TWh and wind added 312 TWh in 2022.
• Global electricity demand grew by 2.5% (+694 TWh) in 2022, with China, the US, and India accounting for 93% of this growth (54%, 21%, and 18% respectively). Conversely, demand in the EU fell by 3% due to mild weather and efforts to reduce consumption.
• Despite the growth of renewables, which met 92% of the rise in demand, absolute power sector CO2 emissions rose by 1.3% to a record high of 12,431 mtCO2. This was partly because coal generation rose by 108 TWh (+1.1%) to a record 10,186 TWh to meet shortfalls in nuclear and gas generation.
• Clean electricity sources excluding wind and solar experienced their first year-on-year generation decline since 2011. This was caused by a 129 TWh (-5%) drop in nuclear generation—linked to outages in France and closures in Germany and Belgium—and hydropower declines in the EU due to extreme droughts.
• The 2022 energy crisis acted as a catalyst for renewable transitions, evidenced by the EU's REPowerEU plan and the US Inflation Reduction Act, which provides nearly $370 billion for clean energy. Additionally, investment in clean energy technologies equaled investment in fossil fuels for the first time in 2022.

APA

Ember (2023). Electricity Transition in 2022. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-transition-in-2022-ger2023/

Chicago

Ember. Electricity Transition in 2022. 2023. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-transition-in-2022-ger2023/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Electricity Transition in 2022 |date=12 April 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-transition-in-2022-ger2023/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2023electricity, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Electricity Transition in 2022}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/electricity-transition-in-2022-ger2023/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }