Global Electricity Review 2023

In 2022, wind and solar reached a record 12% share of global electricity, driving carbon intensity to a record low of 436 gCO2/kWh. However, absolute power sector emissions reached an all-time high of 12,431 mtCO2 because clean power growth did not fully meet rising global demand, which grew by 2.5% (+694 TWh). While coal generation rose by 1.1% to a record 10,186 TWh, the report forecasts that 2023 could be the first year of structural decline in fossil generation and the peak for power sector emissions. The analysis highlights a significant gap between current growth and the IEA NZE pathway, which requires wind and solar to reach 41% of global generation by 2030.

• Wind and solar generation reached a record 12% share of global electricity in 2022, up from 10% in 2021, with solar growing by 24% and wind by 17%.
• Global power sector CO2 emissions reached a record high of 12,431 mtCO2 in 2022, an increase of 1.3% (160 million tonnes), as clean power growth met only 80% of the 694 TWh increase in global electricity demand.
• The carbon intensity of global electricity fell to a record low of 436 gCO2/kWh in 2022, the cleanest level ever recorded.
• Coal generation hit an all-time record high of 10,186 TWh in 2022, increasing by 1.1% (+108 TWh), while global gas generation declined slightly by 0.2% (-12 TWh).
• Ember forecasts that 2023 may see the first structural fall in fossil generation (-47 TWh, -0.3%), potentially marking 2022 as the peak for power sector emissions.
• To align with the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario for 1.5C, wind and solar must increase to 41% of global electricity generation by 2030, requiring annual growth rates of 25% for solar and 17% for wind.
• Other clean electricity sources, specifically nuclear and hydro, saw their first year-on-year fall in generation since 2011, with nuclear falling by 129 TWh (-5%) and EU hydro falling by 66 TWh.
• China is the world's largest power sector emitter, accounting for 38% of total global emissions (4,694 million tonnes of CO2) in 2022, with coal making up 61% of its electricity mix.
• The United States' power sector emissions fell by 14% since 2015, with wind and solar increasing their share to 15% of the mix, though gas generation rose by 27% in the same period.
• India's power sector emissions rose by 6.4% (+70 million tonnes of CO2) in 2022, driven by a 7.2% increase in electricity demand and a 7.2% rise in coal generation.

APA

Wiatros-Motyka, M., Jones, D., Broadbent, H., Fulghum, N., Bruce-Lockhart, C., Dizon, R., MacDonald, P., Moore, C., Candlin, A., Lee, U., Copsey, L., Hawkins, S., Ewen, M., Worthington, B., Benham, H., Trueman, M., Yang, M., Lolla, A., Edianto, A. S., ... Black, R. (2023). Global Electricity Review 2023. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/11/Global-Electricity-Review-2023.pdf

Chicago

Wiatros-Motyka, Małgorzata, Dave Jones, Hannah Broadbent, Nicolas Fulghum, Chelsea Bruce-Lockhart, Reynaldo Dizon, Phil MacDonald, et al. Global Electricity Review 2023. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/11/Global-Electricity-Review-2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{wiatrosmotyka2023global, author = {Wiatros-Motyka, Małgorzata and Jones, Dave and Broadbent, Hannah and Fulghum, Nicolas and Bruce-Lockhart, Chelsea and Dizon, Reynaldo and MacDonald, Phil and Moore, Charles and Candlin, Alison and Lee, Uni and Copsey, Libby and Hawkins, Sam and Ewen, Matt and Worthington, Bryony and Benham, Harry and Trueman, Michele and Yang, Muyi and Lolla, Aditya and Edianto, Achmed Shahram and Czyżak, Paweł and Brown, Sarah and Rosslowe, Chris and Black, Richard}, title = {{Global Electricity Review 2023}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/11/Global-Electricity-Review-2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }