For the first time, 30% of global production comes from renewable energy sources

According to one analysis, nearly a third of global electricity generation was generated from renewable energies last year. Growth in solar and wind energy exceeded 30 percent for the first time in 2023.

Since 2000, the share of renewables has risen from 19%, primarily due to growing wind and solar power. This was stated in a report published on Wednesday by the Ember Research Center. While the share of wind and solar energy in global electricity generation was 0.2% in 2000, a high of 13.4% will be reached in 2023, the authors write. Another source of renewable energy is hydroelectric power.

According to the information, solar energy also grew faster last year. However, electricity generation from hydropower has fallen to its lowest level in five years, due to drought in China, among other things. According to the authors, this deficit was offset by an increase in coal-fired power generation – which in turn led to a 1% increase in global emissions from the electricity sector. Power generation using coal increased primarily in four countries severely affected by drought: China, India, Vietnam and Mexico.

For their analysis, experts used different data on total electricity generation, for example from the European Union statistics office Eurostat or the Energy Information Administration (EIA). (DAP/EPA)