Thread by @EmberClimate

⚡️ 10 Tweet Thread - Global Power Sector in 2020

What happened in 2020?
⏸️Pandemic paused electricity demand growth
⏩Wind and solar grew +315 TWh (+15%)
⏪Replacing coal generation -346 TWh (-4%)

[1/10] Ember's #GER21 Report
ember-climate.org/global-electri…

Growth in #wind and #solar helped drive global #coal power to a record fall of 4%.

Except in China. Despite impressive wind & solar growth, this didn’t keep up with electricity demand, so coal rose to fill the gap.

[2/10] #GER21
ember-climate.org/global-electri…

Almost a TENTH of global electricity in 2020 was supplied by wind turbines and solar panels.

Impressively, it has doubled since 2015, from 4.6% to 9.4%.

Most G20 countries are on the same journey, around the global average 🇮🇳🇨🇳🇯🇵🇧🇷🇺🇸🇹🇷

[3/10] #GER21
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Wind and solar are rapidly transforming the global electricity mix, taking market share from coal since 2015.

All other generation types are mostly unchanged.

[4/10] #GER21
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Wind and solar are taking market share from coal almost everywhere.

Turkey and Indonesia are the only G20 countries that have seen a rise in coal’s market share since 2015.

[5/10] #GER21
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But rising electricity demand in China and India meant that #coal generation rose, even though coal’s market share fell.

In total, global coal generation was only 0.8% lower in 2020 than in 2015.

[6/10] #GER21
ember-climate.org/global-electri…

The world burned more #fossilfuels for electricity in 2020 than in 2015, with CO2 emissions ~2% higher.

Coal -1%
Gas +12%

In Asia, electricity demand outpaced clean electricity, leading to more coal.

In 🇪🇺🇺🇸 fossil gas replaced some coal.

[7/10] #GER21 ember-climate.org/global-electri…

Coal is still the world's single largest source of electricity, but gas is also a critical part of electricity in many countries.

61% of global electricity was from fossil fuels in 2020

34% coal + 23% gas + 4% oil

[8/10] #GER21
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Electricity demand growth is a critical unknown.

🇨🇳 China’s per capita use has risen above the UK & Italy

🇮🇳 India’s is 1/5 of China

🇰🇷 South Korea is 2x China

How will that change in a decade?

[9/10] #GER21
ember-climate.org/global-electri…

Global #coal power saw a record fall in 2020, but it's still insufficient to put the world on a pathway for #netzero by mid-century.

Progress is nowhere near fast enough.

[10/10] #GER21
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