Regardless of report additions, clear vitality sources couldn’t absolutely meet a surge in electrical energy demand in 2024, pushed primarily by the consequences of rising temperatures, an annual evaluation by the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA) confirmed on Monday.

Renewables and nuclear vitality offered four-fifths of the rise in electrical energy technology, which elevated by 4% final yr – marking “a big acceleration” from the common annual progress seen within the final 15 years, the IEA stated. The remainder of the expansion was coated by coal – nonetheless the biggest supply within the whole world electrical energy combine – and by an increasing provide of fossil gasoline energy.

Report temperatures push up energy demand

Hovering use of cooling applied sciences like air con in response to excessive warmth was a key issue within the rising urge for food for electrical energy, particularly in China and India, that are heavy customers of coal energy, the IEA stated.

Final yr was the most popular on report and the worldwide common temperature for 2024 exceeded the Paris Settlement benchmark of 1.5C above pre-industrial ranges for the primary time.

It’s time for delivery to launch first world tax on a polluting sector

Rising electrical energy consumption by trade, the rollout of electrical automobiles and the enlargement of knowledge centres additionally drove energy demand, the Paris-based watchdog stated.

Fatih Birol, the IEA’s govt director, stated in a briefing on Monday that “although oil and gasoline will stay important vitality carriers, we hear the footsteps of the age of electrical energy coming”.

He additionally famous that demand for all main fuels and vitality applied sciences rose in 2024 because of quickly rising electrical energy use.

World makes use of extra coal, gasoline and renewables

Energy technology from photo voltaic panels and wind generators elevated at a report tempo due to a fast charge of latest installations, whereas nuclear energy output was boosted by new tasks and the restarting of reactors in France and Japan, the report famous.

However electrical energy technology from fossil gasoline and coal saved rising and, total, fossil fuels nonetheless represented 60% of the worldwide electrical energy combine final yr.

Whereas nearly all areas noticed an acceleration in electrical energy consumption, China and Southeast Asia noticed the quickest will increase in 2024, in keeping with the IEA report.

After a decline in 2023, superior economies led by the USA noticed a return to progress in electrical energy consumption pushed by sturdy demand for cooling, progress within the data-centre sector and a pickup in industrial manufacturing.

China continued to guide world enlargement of renewables, making up nearly two-thirds of all renewable capability related to the grid in 2024. America, India and Brazil additionally noticed report ranges of photo voltaic photovoltaic roll-outs final yr.

However intense heatwaves pushed coal and gasoline use increased in each China and India, whereas the USA and Eurasia additionally noticed sturdy will increase in gasoline demand for electrical energy, the IEA report famous.

Vitality-related emissions nonetheless rising

Rising gasoline and coal use fuelled a 0.8% enhance in world carbon dioxide emissions generated by the vitality sector in 2024, the IEA stated – however traits assorted broadly throughout areas.

Whereas energy-related emissions dipped in superior economies, whose progress has turn into much less polluting, the decline was outweighed by marked will increase in rising economies – particularly India – and the worldwide aviation sector.

Clear hydrogen hype fades as excessive prices dampen demand

Talking to journalists, Laura Cozzi, the IEA’s director of sustainability, famous that planet-heating emissions might have been exponentially increased with out the fast adoption of fresh applied sciences – a improvement that is retaining 2.6 gigatonnes of CO2 out of the environment.

“These are fossil fuels which can be being displaced,” she stated, including that the transition is shifting “very quick” within the electrical energy sector.