Page 40 - Energize June 2022

VIEWS AND OPINION

Wind and solar supplied 10% of other hand, are lagging behind with Saudi
Sunny Middle East and Africa, on the

global generation in 2021 Arabia’s electricity being less than 1% wind
and solar and 3% for Egypt and the UAE.
However, despite the good news,
global electricity demand rose by a record
by Fereidoon Sioshansi, Menlo Energy Economics
1414 TWh from 2020 to 2021, outstripping
the supply of clean power. Consequently,
According to Ember’s third annual Global Electricity Review, wind only 29% of the global rise in electricity

and solar generated 10,3% of global electricity for the first time, demand was met with wind and solar,
making them the fastest growing sources of clean electricity. despite a record rise in generation levels.
The IEA’s Net Zero by 2050 report
anticipates that 25% of clean electricity
growth will need to come from sources
his is an increase from 9,3% in 2020, largest economies, the US, China, Japan, other than wind and solar, such as nuclear
and twice the share compared to Germany and the UK, have reached the and hydro power. However, because these
Twhen the Paris Climate Agreement 10% wind and solar milestone. Denmark, provided no growth, remaining demand
was signed in 2015. Combined, clean Luxembourg and Uruguay get 52%, 43% increase was met by fossil fuels, with
electricity sources generated 38% of the and 47% of their electricity from wind and 59% of demand rise in 2021 met by coal
world’s electricity in 2021, 2% more than solar, respectively. generation.
coal. Impressive gains over a relatively
short period of time.

Ember is an energy think-tank that
uses data-driven insights to shift the
world from coal to clean electricity.

To meet the International Energy Agency’s
(IEA’s) 1,5˚C pathway, however, wind and
solar will need to provide 75% of all new
clean electricity to supply 40% of the
world’s electricity by 2030. Increasing
generation from 2837 TWh in 2021 to the
14 978 TWh needed by 2030 will require
20% compound growth every year. In
the last decade, wind and solar achieved Figure 1: Share of global electricity generation by source (Ember)
an average 20% growth per year, and
although the growth rate has been falling,
it rose to a 17% share in 2021.
According to Ember, 50 countries
have now crossed the 10% wind and
solar milestone while the Netherlands,
Australia and Vietnam shifted over 8% of
their total electricity demand from fossil
fuels to wind and solar. In the case of the
Netherlands, the share of wind and solar
rose from 14% to 25% in just two years,
while the share of fossil fuels fell from 78%
to 63%. In Australia wind and solar rose
from 13% to 22%, while the share of fossil
fuels fell from 79% to 70%. In Vietnam,
the share of wind and solar rose from 3%
to 11%, while the share of fossil fuels fell
from 73% to 63%.
Moreover, all five of the world’s Figure 2: Vietnam’s solar boom reduced coal and gas generation in 2021 (Ember)

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