Latest news with #GlobalElectricityReview
Arab News
15-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan rank as top solar markets in 2024: report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has joined the ranks of the world's leading solar markets, importing 17 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels last year alone, according to the Global Electricity Review 2025 by Ember, an energy think tank in the UK. In 2024, for the first time, solar power supplied more than 2,000 TWh of electricity, increasing by 474 TWh (+29 percent) from the previous year. This was the largest increase in generation from any power source in 2024. It took 8 years for solar to go from 100 TWh to 1,000 TWh of power — and then just 3 years to pass 2,000 TWh, meaning that solar has now been the largest source of new electricity globally for three years in a row. Solar is now so cheap that large markets can emerge in the space of a single year – as evidenced in Pakistan in 2024. Amid high electricity prices linked to expensive contracts with privately-owned thermal power stations, rooftop solar installations in Pakistan's homes and businesses soared as a means of accessing lower cost power. 'The country imported 17 GW of solar panels in 2024 to meet this growing consumer demand, double the amount imported the year before,' the Global Electricity Review 2025 said. 'Within just a year, Pakistan became one of the world's largest markets for new solar installations in 2024.' Pakistan's case shows that the low-cost, fast-to-build nature of solar power can transform electricity systems at an unprecedented rate. Updated system planning and regulatory frameworks are needed alongside this deployment to ensure a sustainable and managed transition. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia imported 16 GW in 2024, more than double the amount imported the year before. Oman saw the largest percentage growth in imports in the region, with 2.5 GW of imports in 2024 representing a fivefold increase from the year before. South Africa imported 3.8 GW of solar panels in 2024, following a record-breaking 2023 when 4.3 GW were imported as consumers turned to the technology amid rising blackouts. Nigeria and Morocco imported 1.3 GW and 1.1 GW respectively, marking the first time that either country has imported more than 1 GW in a single year. The expansion of solar power is a worldwide phenomenon, with 99 countries doubling the amount of electricity they produce from solar power in the last five years. The majority of solar generation now comes from non-OECD countries (58 percent), with China alone making up 39 percent of the global total. Increases in generation have been achieved thanks to the pace of capacity additions, the Global Electricity Review said. The world installed a record 585 gigawatts of solar capacity last year – 30 percent more than in 2023, and more than double the amount installed in 2022. Having surpassed 1 TW of solar power in 2022, it took only two years to install the next 1 TW. 'This is not just unprecedented for solar power – it is a rate of growth that no power source has seen before. In fact, the solar capacity installed in 2024 is more than the annual capacity installations of all fuels combined in any year before 2023,' the Global Electricity Review 2025 report added. As solar's share of the global electricity mix has risen to 6.9 percent of global generation in 2024, some countries are showing it is possible to incorporate much larger amounts. There are now 21 countries that generate more than 15 percent of their electricity from solar power, up from just three countries five years ago.
Arab News
14-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia became world's largest markets for new solar installations in 2024 — report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has joined the ranks of the world's leading solar markets, importing 17 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels last year alone, according to the Global Electricity Review 2025 by Ember, an energy think tank in the UK. In 2024, for the first time, solar power supplied more than 2,000 TWh of electricity, increasing by 474 TWh (+29 percent) from the previous year. This was the largest increase in generation from any power source in 2024. It took 8 years for solar to go from 100 TWh to 1,000 TWh of power — and then just 3 years to pass 2,000 TWh, meaning that solar has now been the largest source of new electricity globally for three years in a row. Solar is now so cheap that large markets can emerge in the space of a single year – as evidenced in Pakistan in 2024. Amid high electricity prices linked to expensive contracts with privately-owned thermal power stations, rooftop solar installations in Pakistan's homes and businesses soared as a means of accessing lower cost power. 'The country imported 17 GW of solar panels in 2024 to meet this growing consumer demand, double the amount imported the year before,' the Global Electricity Review 2025 said. 'Within just a year, Pakistan became one of the world's largest markets for new solar installations in 2024.' Pakistan's case shows that the low-cost, fast-to-build nature of solar power can transform electricity systems at an unprecedented rate. Updated system planning and regulatory frameworks are needed alongside this deployment to ensure a sustainable and managed transition. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia imported 16 GW in 2024, more than double the amount imported the year before. Oman saw the largest percentage growth in imports in the region, with 2.5 GW of imports in 2024 representing a fivefold increase from the year before. South Africa imported 3.8 GW of solar panels in 2024, following a record-breaking 2023 when 4.3 GW were imported as consumers turned to the technology amid rising blackouts. Nigeria and Morocco imported 1.3 GW and 1.1 GW respectively, marking the first time that either country has imported more than 1 GW in a single year. The expansion of solar power is a worldwide phenomenon, with 99 countries doubling the amount of electricity they produce from solar power in the last five years. The majority of solar generation now comes from non-OECD countries (58 percent), with China alone making up 39 percent of the global total. Increases in generation have been achieved thanks to the pace of capacity additions, the Global Electricity Review said. The world installed a record 585 gigawatts of solar capacity last year – 30% more than in 2023, and more than double the amount installed in 2022. Having surpassed 1 TW of solar power in 2022, it took only two years to install the next 1 TW. 'This is not just unprecedented for solar power – it is a rate of growth that no power source has seen before. In fact, the solar capacity installed in 2024 is more than the annual capacity installations of all fuels combined in any year before 2023,' the Global Electricity Review 2025 report added. As solar's share of the global electricity mix has risen to 6.9 percent of global generation in 2024, some countries are showing it is possible to incorporate much larger amounts. There are now 21 countries that generate more than 15 percent of their electricity from solar power, up from just three countries five years ago.
Times of Oman
09-04-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
India overtakes Germany to become 3rd-largest generator of wind, solar power
India became the world's third-largest producer of electricity from wind and solar energy in 2024, overtaking Germany, to according to a new report. The sixth edition of global energy think tank Ember's Global Electricity Review said wind and solar together generated 15% of global electricity last year. India's share stood at 10%. The report said low-carbon sources, including renewables and nuclear power, together provided 40.9% of the world's electricity in 2024. This is the first time the 40% mark has been crossed since the 1940s. In India, clean sources accounted for 22% of the electricity generation. Hydropower contributed the most at 8%, while wind and solar together accounted for 10%. Globally, renewables led the growth in clean electricity, adding a record 858 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024 — 49% more than the previous record in 2022. Solar was the largest source of new electricity for the third straight year, adding 474 TWh in 2024. It was also the fastest-growing power source for the 20th year in a row. In just three years, global solar power generation doubled to 6.9% of the electricity mix. India, too, saw a rapid increase in solar power. Solar contributed 7% of the country's electricity in 2024, the generation doubling since 2021. India added 24 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity in 2024, more than twice the addition in 2023, becoming the third-largest market after China and the US. It also recorded the fourth-largest increase in solar generation globally, adding 20 TWh. "Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,' said Phil MacDonald, Ember's managing director. "Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world's ever-increasing demand for electricity.' The report, released on Tuesday (April 8, 2025) along with an open dataset on electricity generation in 2024, covers 88 countries that account for 93% of global electricity demand and includes historic data for 215 countries. Ember's Asia Programme Director Aditya Lolla said the clean energy transition in Asia is accelerating, led by record growth in solar and other renewables. "With electricity demand set to rise across the region, a robust clean energy market is crucial for the continued expansion of clean power. This will not only strengthen energy security and economic resilience, but also help emerging countries access the benefits of a new clean energy market economy." Neshwin Rodrigues, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember, said India has made notable progress in adopting renewables but now faces a major challenge: ensuring its clean generation grows fast enough to meet rising demand. Calling India a "solar superpower", UN climate change chief Simon Stiell in February said that fully embracing the global clean energy boom would accelerate India's economic rise. As part of its climate commitments or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC in 2022, India aims to achieve 50% of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. In 2021, the country also announced a goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. While this target was not officially included in India's updated NDCs, it remains a key guiding reference in national energy planning documents, including the 14th National Electricity Plan.
Observer
08-04-2025
- Business
- Observer
Renewables provided record 32% of global electricity in 2024
LONDON:Renewable power generation provided a record 32% of global electricity last year, a report by energy think tank Ember said on Tuesday, as overall electricity demand grew 4% driven by heatwaves and data centres. Energy security fears, exacerbated by a trade war prompted by US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, could further boost demand for renewable power this year, Ember electricity and data analyst Euan Graham told Reuters. The tariffs have sent markets from energy and equities plummeting and stoked concerns about a global recession. Graham said though it was too early to tell whether the tariff fallout would impact electricity demand this year, renewable power could benefit. "Countries are thinking about their security and energy security more than ever before and I think that means homegrown renewable power like wind and solar becomes more and more attractive," he said. The growth of renewable power generation — including wind, hydro and solar — in the global electricity mix in 2024 beat the previous year's 30% record, Ember's Global Electricity Review showed. "Despite geopolitical and economic headwinds, the renewables industry delivered an additional 858 TWh of generation to the system last year — more than the combined annual electricity consumption of the UK and France," Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance said in a statement accompanying the report. The rise in electricity consumption for artificial intelligence, data centres, electric vehicles and heat pumps contributed 0.7% of the global demand growth last year, the report showed. Heatwaves in 2024 increased electricity demand for cooling which added a further 0.7% or 208 terawatt hours (TWh) to the global total, it said. Gas power plants contributed 22% of global electricity production, little changed from 2023. Coal remained the largest source of generation, providing 34% of the global share, down from 36%. Nuclear power contributed 9%, down slightly from 9.1% in 2023. — Reuters
CBC
08-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Renewables provided record share of global electricity in 2024
Social Sharing For the first time, renewable energy plus nuclear — sources that don't directly emit greenhouse gases — generate more than 40 per cent of global demand for electricity, says a new report from an international research group. Renewable power generation provided a record 32 per cent of global electricity last year, while nuclear power contributed nine per cent, down slightly from 9.1 per cent in 2023, a report by energy think-tank Ember said on Tuesday. Overall electricity demand grew four per cent, driven by heat waves and data centres. Solar energy is doubling every three years globally, says Richard Black, policy head at Ember Energy, a European research group. Nearly half the growth is in China, but the curve is up in many regions, including California and Texas in the U.S., Hungary, Spain, Chile and Pakistan, he said. Energy security fears, exacerbated by a trade war prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, could further boost demand for renewable power this year, Ember electricity and data analyst Euan Graham told Reuters. WATCH | Tariff threats reopen clean energy, pipeline debates: Tariff threats reopen clean energy, pipeline debates 29 days ago Duration 1:59 The tariffs have sent markets from energy and equities plummeting and stoked concerns about a global recession. Graham said though it was too early to tell whether the tariff fallout would impact electricity demand this year, renewable power could benefit. "Countries are thinking about their security and energy security more than ever before, and I think that means homegrown renewable power like wind and solar becomes more and more attractive," he said. The growth of renewable power generation — including wind, hydro and solar — in the global electricity mix in 2024 beat the previous year's 30 per cent record, Ember's Global Electricity Review showed. "Despite geopolitical and economic headwinds, the renewables industry delivered an additional 858 TWh of generation to the system last year — more than the combined annual electricity consumption of the U.K. and France," Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance, said in a statement accompanying the report. WATCH | What if we put solar panels on every roof in the world? What if we put solar panels on every roof in the world? 25 days ago Duration 2:30 AI, electrification, heat waves drive up power demand The rise in electricity consumption for artificial intelligence, data centres, electric vehicles and heat pumps contributed 0.7 per cent of the global demand growth last year, the report showed. Heat waves in 2024 increased electricity demand for cooling, which added a further 0.7 per cent, or 208 terrawatt hours (TWh), to the global total, it said. Electricity generation from oil, gas and coal still climbed last year with unprecedented heat waves blistering the U.S., China and India, boosting demand for cooling. "That increase in demand during those very hot periods accounted for almost all of the increase in fossil fuel generation last year," Black said. WATCH | Delhi records all-time record temperature of 52.9 C: Delhi records all-time record temperature of 52.9 C 10 months ago Duration 2:15 Gas power plants contributed 22 per cent of global electricity production, little changed from 2023. Coal remained the largest source of generation, providing 34 per cent of the global share, down from 36 per cent. Canada lags in solar and wind Nicole Dusyk. senior policy adviser at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a Canadian think-tank, says 70 per cent of Canada's electricity comes from renewables, but the growth of solar and wind is slower here than the global average. She suggests that's due to the abundance of cheap hydroelectric resources that have already given Canada a very clean grid. But with electrification growing, she says provinces need to remove barriers to renewable growth. "They are the cheapest form of electricity, and so if we increase the share of wind and solar on our grids, it will drive down [electricity] costs for Canadians," she said.
