Renewables Soar, But Fossil Fuels Continue To Rise as Global Electricity Demand Hits Record Levels (energyinst.org)
(Friday June 27, 2025 @05:40PM (msmash)
from the closer-look dept.)
- Reference: 0178206000
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/27/1956207/renewables-soar-but-fossil-fuels-continue-to-rise-as-global-electricity-demand-hits-record-levels
- Source link: https://www.energyinst.org/exploring-energy/resources/news-centre/media-releases/renewables-soar,-but-fossil-fuels-continue-to-rise-as-global-electricity-demand-hits-record-levels
In a year when average air temperatures consistently breached the 1.5C warming threshold, global COâ-equivalent emissions from energy [1]rose by 1% , marking yet another record, the fourth in as many years. From a report:
> Wind and solar energy alone expanded by an impressive 16% in 2024, nine times faster than total energy demand. Yet this growth did not fully counterbalance rising demand elsewhere, with total fossil fuel use growing by just over 1%, highlighting a transition defined as much by disorder as by progress.
>
> Crude oil demand in OECD countries remained flat, following a slight decline in the previous year. In contrast, non-OECD countries, where much of the world's energy demand growth is concentrated and fossil fuels continue to play a dominant role, saw oil demand rise by 1%. Notably, Chinese crude oil demand fell in 2024 by 1.2%, indicating that 2023 may have reached a peak. Elsewhere, global natural gas demand rebounded, rising by 2.5% as gas markets rebalanced after the 2023 slump. India's demand for coal rose 4% in 2024 and now equals that of the CIS, Southern and Central America, North America, and Europe combined.
[1] https://www.energyinst.org/exploring-energy/resources/news-centre/media-releases/renewables-soar,-but-fossil-fuels-continue-to-rise-as-global-electricity-demand-hits-record-levels
> Wind and solar energy alone expanded by an impressive 16% in 2024, nine times faster than total energy demand. Yet this growth did not fully counterbalance rising demand elsewhere, with total fossil fuel use growing by just over 1%, highlighting a transition defined as much by disorder as by progress.
>
> Crude oil demand in OECD countries remained flat, following a slight decline in the previous year. In contrast, non-OECD countries, where much of the world's energy demand growth is concentrated and fossil fuels continue to play a dominant role, saw oil demand rise by 1%. Notably, Chinese crude oil demand fell in 2024 by 1.2%, indicating that 2023 may have reached a peak. Elsewhere, global natural gas demand rebounded, rising by 2.5% as gas markets rebalanced after the 2023 slump. India's demand for coal rose 4% in 2024 and now equals that of the CIS, Southern and Central America, North America, and Europe combined.
[1] https://www.energyinst.org/exploring-energy/resources/news-centre/media-releases/renewables-soar,-but-fossil-fuels-continue-to-rise-as-global-electricity-demand-hits-record-levels
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
by Tablizer ( 95088 )
Fission on a large scale is too risky. During a big war many of those nuke plants will get either bombed into radioactive dust/rivers or neglected, triggering a nuclear winter, killing off 95% of humanity.
It's not the full solution. I hope fusion pan's out. Stellerators have Yuuuuge potential on paper. (I expect computing power will eventually make Tokomaks obsolete compared to stellerators.)
Re: (Score:2)
by Tablizer ( 95088 )
Correction, bombing fission plants won't trigger nuclear winter by itself, just irradiate us all.
Re: (Score:1)
by atomicalgebra ( 4566883 )
Stop the fearmongering.
Re: (Score:1)
by Tablizer ( 95088 )
WW1 and WW2 were not fiction.
Re: (Score:1)
by JaredOfEuropa ( 526365 )
"Nuclear Power will solve the climate crisis, and it doesn't need a breakthrough or a TED talk, all it needs is a building permit" - Sabine Hossenfelder.
Turn off the AI (Score:3, Interesting)
How do we fair if we turn off all of the AI bullshit?