Data Methodology

The document outlines Ember's methodology for assembling electricity data for 215 countries. It describes the use of multiple sources—including Eurostat, ENTSO-E, the Energy Institute, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration—to reconcile annual and monthly time series. The guide explains how Ember handles data gaps through ARIMA-based projections, disaggregates thermal generation using IEA and EI ratios, and calculates lifecycle emissions using IPCC and UNECE factors. It also provides a comprehensive country-by-country breakdown of the specific sources and adjustments applied to each national dataset.

• Ember tracks five core electricity datasets: generation (TWh), net imports (TWh), demand (TWh), installed power generation capacity (GW), and emissions from electricity generation (Mt CO2e).
• To estimate the latest annual generation when data is unavailable, Ember uses monthly data and applies absolute changes by fuel from annualised monthly data to historical annual values.
• For countries that do not report disaggregated fossil fuel generation, Ember estimates the split using ratios from the IEA’s monthly electricity generation statistics or the Energy Institute (EI) statistical review of world energy.
• Ember uses a series of ARIMA models to project incomplete monthly data, using projected GDP from the World Bank as an exogenous variable for demand.
• Lifecycle emissions are calculated by multiplying generation numbers by emissions factors from sources such as UNECE, IPCC AR5 WG3, and Jordaan et al. 2022, covering all gases converted to CO2 equivalent over a 100-year timescale.
• Ember identifies significant data uncertainties regarding bioenergy emissions, noting that the IPCC figure used may be a significant underestimate because it focuses on energy crops rather than woody or forest biomass.
• Installed capacity data is primarily sourced from Global Energy Monitor (GEM) for coal and gas, and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for non-fossil generation.
• The methodology notes a consistent challenge with 'captive power'—industrial thermal resources that are often included in national yearly statistics but excluded from monthly TSO-based statistics.

APA

Ember (n.d.). Data Methodology. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2022/03/GER22-Methodology.pdf

Chicago

Ember. Data Methodology. n.d. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2022/03/GER22-Methodology.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Data Methodology |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2022/03/GER22-Methodology.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{embernddata, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Data Methodology}}, institution = {Ember}, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2022/03/GER22-Methodology.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }