This infographic shows the rise of electricity from wind and solar which, taken together, generate over a tenth of the world’s electricity and are now the fourth-largest source of electricity, behind coal, gas, and hydro:
“From a regional perspective”, Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti observes, “Europe leads with nine of the top 10 countries (Uruguay ranks 2nd). On the flipside, the Middle East and Africa have the fewest countries reaching the 10% threshold”.
Electricity was the highest greenhouse gas emitting sector in 2020 and Bruno cautions that “Despite the record rise in renewables, solar and wind electricity generation growth currently doesn’t meet the required marks to reach the Paris Agreement’s goals…In fact, when the world faced an unprecedented surge in electricity demand in 2021, only 29% of the global rise in electricity demand was met with solar and wind”.
On a positive note, Bruno concludes that “Even as emissions from the electricity sector are at an all-time high, there are signs that the global electricity transition is underway. Governments like the U.S., Germany, UK, and Canada are planning to increase their share of clean electricity within the next decade and a half. Investments are also coming from the private sector, with companies like Amazon and Apple extending their positions on renewable energy to become some of the biggest buyers overall. More wind and solar are being added to grids than ever, with renewables expected to provide the majority of clean electricity needed to phase out fossil fuels”.
Infographic Source: Infographic designed by Joyce Ma at Visual Capitalist to support Bruno’s recent article, “Mapped: Solar and Wind Power by Country” (originally posted on Elements on 4th May 2022)
Data Source: Based on data from Ember
Feature Image Source: Shafin Protic on Pixabay