Global electricity production is entering a new era. Brought by the boom in solar and wind, renewable energies redraw the energy landscape at an unprecedented rate. In 2024, they crossed a historic threshold, surpassing hydroelectricity for the first time in the world mix. This upheaval is no longer limited to Western countries. Asia, in particular, becomes the engine of an accelerated transition. But behind this spectacular advance, a challenge persists: responding to an ever stronger demand without reviving dependence on fossil fuels.
The boom in photovoltaics is no longer limited to developed countries. China, a global transition engine, concentrated 53% of solar growth in 2024, while India doubled its capacity in one year. Together, these two giants now shape the evolution of the sector. Solar and wind power today represent almost 15% of world electricity, exceeding for the first time hydroelectricity, historically dominant.
The nuclear, more stable but loss of speed, has progressed only modestly (+69 TWh). As for hydroelectricity, it remains the leading source of low carbon energy, with 14.3% of the world total, but its growth remains limited.
Why emissions continue to increase despite green growth
However, this energy tilting is not enough to curb global warming. According to data relayed by the BBC, global carbon dioxide emissions have reached a record level in 2024, with 14.6 billion tonnes rejected in the atmosphere. In question: ever stronger global energy demand, accelerated by extreme climatic events.
The year 2024 was marked by prolonged heat waves, especially in March, the second hottest March ever recorded according to the European service Copernicus. Electricity consumption jumped 4% on a planetary scale. This increase, largely carried by air conditioning systems, has forced many countries to revive or intensify their production based on coal and gas.
Thus, despite the progression of clean energies, fossil production increased by 1.4%, mainly based on coal (34%) and gas (22%), still according to the figures published by EME. The paradox is clear: a well -committed transition, but still too slow to reverse the program curve.
Renewable energies to the test of global demand
If low carbon production is growing rapidly, it is still struggling to cover an electric demand in full explosion. In addition to the effects of climate change, other factors amplify electricity needs. Strong growth technologies such as data centers, electric vehicles, heat pumps or artificial intelligence now weigh heavy in world consumption.
These emerging uses already represent 0.7% of the annual increase in demand, a level more than twice that observed five years ago. At this rate, production will have to follow a similar growth curve to avoid new dependence on fossil fuels.
The good news is that projections remain optimistic: even with growth of 4.1% per year until 2030, the capacities of renewable energies could be enough to meet demand, provided that it is accelerating investments in energy storage, flexibility of the network and intelligent infrastructure.
In Asia, signals are encouraging. China and India, historically dependent on coal, started a lasting turn to a model based on renewables to respond to their energy growth. A dynamic that could well redefine the global energy balance.
