Data Trends in global electricity

In 2021, global electricity demand grew by 5.4%, the fastest rate since 2010. While solar and wind generation continued to rise, coal generation reached an all-time high, leading to a 7% increase in power sector CO2 emissions. This resulted in the first increase in global electricity carbon intensity since 2011, moving the sector further away from the IEA's 1.5 degree pathway.

• Solar power was the fastest-growing electricity source for the 17th consecutive year, with global generation increasing by 23% (188 TWh) to reach 1,023 TWh in 2021. Solar provided 3.7% of global electricity in 2021, compared to 1.1% in 2015.
• Wind generation grew by 14% in 2021, adding 227 TWh to reach a total of 1,814 TWh. This represents the highest absolute increase ever recorded for wind power. China dominated this growth, accounting for 65% of the global increase in wind generation.
• Coal generation reached an all-time high in 2021, increasing by 9% and exceeding the previous 2018 record by 2%. China's coal generation was 33% higher in 2021 than in 2015, causing its share of global coal power to rise from 44% to 54%.
• Power sector CO2 emissions rose by 7% (778 million tonnes) in 2021, the largest absolute rise ever and the largest percentage increase since 2010. This brought total emissions to over 12 billion tonnes of CO2. Consequently, global electricity carbon intensity rose from 437 gCO2/KWh to 442 gCO2/KWh, the first such increase since 2011.
• Global electricity demand grew by 1,414 TWh (5.4%) in 2021, the fastest growth since 2010. China experienced the most significant increase, with demand 13% higher in 2021 than in 2019.
• Other energy sources showed mixed trends: nuclear generation rose by 4% (100 TWh) to 2,736 TWh, while hydro production fell by 2% due to low rainfall in China, Brazil, the US, and Turkey. Gas generation plateaued with only a 1% increase, and bioenergy rose by 6% to 646 TWh.

APA

Ember (2022). Data Trends in global electricity. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/data-ger2022/

Chicago

Ember. Data Trends in global electricity. 2022. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/data-ger2022/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Data Trends in global electricity |date=30 March 2022 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/data-ger2022/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2022data, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Data Trends in global electricity}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/data-ger2022/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }