Fossil growth periods are approaching their demise.
Viral Surge in Solar Energy: Global Electricity Review Shows Over 40% Renewable Sources.
Hey there! Nicolas Bérubé here, joining you for a chat about the latest energy trends.
Feels like just yesterday when only a fraction of global electricity came from renewable sources, and here we are today with solar power accounting for over 40%! That's right – 2024 saw a massive leap with renewable energy sources providing more than 40% of the world's electricity, according to the Global Electricity Review 2025 by Ember, a UK-based energy think tank. This growth was propelled by cost reductions, policy incentives, technological advancements, and environmental urgency.
Sun Power Revolution
In the past decade, the generation of electricity from solar panels has turned the game on its head. As Nicolas Fulghum, senior data analyst at Ember and co-author of the report, puts it, "Solar energy has been doubling roughly every three years for over a decade. Normally, when technologies reach this scale, their growth rate slows down. But solar energy has continued to grow. In fact, 2024 was the year when the growth rate was the highest (+29%) in six years." Talk about a game changer!
Field of Green Giants
Solar is now the renewable source that reached the generation of 2000 TWh of electricity the fastest, making the strides in just under 10 years. Compare that to coal and gas that took over 40 years each to generate the same amount of electricity. Bear in mind that solar energy managed to surpass 1000 TWh of electricity generated in 8 years, and 2000 TWh in 2 years!
Fossil Fuel Fans Still Hangin' On
Despite this solar power surge, the world's largest energy consumers – China, India, and the United States – saw their fossil fuel-based electricity production increase in 2024, while the European Union recorded a decrease. China's increase of 116 TWh in 2024 was lower than the 367 TWh increase recorded in 2023, while India saw an increase of 67 TWh, the lowest since the COVID-19 recovery. In the United States, increased electricity demand led to a 34 TWh increase, while the EU reduced its fossil fuel production by 75 TWh, thanks to a rapid growth in electricity from renewable sources.
The Future of Solar + Batteries
While solar power's peak production occurs during the day when energy demand is lower, Nicholas Fulghum, senior data analyst at Ember, believes that "batteries are the next big energy revolution." In 2024, 69 GW of batteries were installed globally, almost as much as the total capacity installed so far. Stoked by falling battery costs, solar-powered batteries will become an increasingly common sight, addressing intermittency challenges and enabling broader adoption.
"These batteries are incredibly modular and can be used in various contexts," says Mr. Fulghum. "We expect them to be installed alongside large solar power plants, but also used locally for residential and commercial systems."
Meeting the Insatiable Demand
Electric vehicles, heat pumps, data centers, and other factors are expected to drive a projected increase in electricity demand over the next few years. Still, experts estimate that the growth of renewable energies like solar and wind will be more than sufficient to meet the new demand.
"Renewable technologies are now the engine of economic development," write researchers. "The era of fossil fuel growth is coming to an end, even in a rapidly increasing world."
The Acceleration Ahead
While we celebrate the global electricity production from renewable sources reaching 40%, decarbonization is still incomplete. Solar and wind energy are poised to be the main drivers of growth in the future, with solar alone adding twice as much generation capacity in 2024 as any other source. The solar growth was three times that of coal and five times more than gas. Solar and wind are already replacing fossil fuels, and this trend will only accelerate.
So there you have it – avert your gaze from the smokestacks of the past, because the future is solar-powered, battery-powered, and renewable! Let's ride this clean energy wave together!
Enrichment Data
- The exponential growth of solar energy is due to cost reductions, policy incentives, technological advancements, and environmental urgency, while batteries address intermittency challenges, enabling broader adoption.
- Key drivers of solar growth include cost competitiveness, policy and subsidies, environmental pressures, and technological innovation (e.g., efficiency gains, scalability, third-generation solar cells, and solid-state batteries).
- Battery storage plays a crucial role in grid stabilization, price reductions, grid independence, and market expansion.
- Challenges and opportunities for solar and battery technologies include geographic limitations, and investments in R&D (e.g., solid-state batteries and recycling).
- Solar’s doubling every three years combined with storage advancements positions it as a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition.
- The renewable energy industry, seeing exponential growth due to cost reductions, policy incentives, technological advancements, and environmental urgency, is poised to enrich the environment-al science field significantly.
- In the financial world, there has been an added interest in the renewable-energy sector as a result of the transformation in the climate-change landscape.
- The estimate of renewable energy sources' growth rate is remarkable, having doubled approximately every three years in the recent decade.
- The future periods are expected to witness a rapid acceleration in the expansion of solar and battery technologies, playing a pivotal role in grid stabilization and market expansion.
- With the solar industry's continual growth that added twice as much generation capacity in 2024 as any other source, it is predicted that the environmental-science sphere will experience substantial changes ahead.
- There is a growing belief that scientists and policymakers worldwide should re-think their perspectives on renewable energy, considering the recent estimates and the following acceleration that the renewable-energy industry is experiencing.
