Energy News
ENERGY NEWS
'Age of Electricity' coming as fossil fuels set to peak: IEA
'Age of Electricity' coming as fossil fuels set to peak: IEA
By Nathalie ALONSO
Paris (AFP) Oct 16, 2024

More than half of the world's electricity will be generated by low-emission sources before 2030 but the deployment of clean energy is "far from uniform" across the globe, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

Demand for oil, gas and coal is still projected to peak by the end of the decade, possibly creating a surplus of fossil fuels, the IEA said in its annual World Energy Outlook.

"In energy history, we've witnessed the Age of Coal and the Age of Oil," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

"We're now moving at speed into the Age of Electricity, which will define the global energy system going forward and increasingly be based on clean sources of electricity," he said.

The report said clean energy "is entering the energy system at an unprecedented rate" with 560 gigawatts (GW) of renewables capacity added in 2023.

Almost $2 trillion in investments are flowing into clean energy projects each year, nearly double the amount spent on fossil fuel supplies, according to the Paris-based agency.

"Together with nuclear power, which is the subject of renewed interest in many countries, low-emissions sources are set to generate more than half of the world's electricity before 2030," it said.

- 'Growing momentum' -

But the IEA noted that the deployment of clean energy "is far from uniform across technologies and countries".

The growing thirst for electricity is driven by industry, electric vehicles, air conditioning and data centres linked to the surge of artificial intelligence.

Despite the "growing momentum behind clean energy transitions", the IEA said the world was "still a long way from a trajectory aligned" with its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

The net-zero emissions target is crucial to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.

The IEA report comes a month before Azerbaijan hosts the UN's annual climate conference, COP29, in Baku, from November 11 to November 22.

At COP28 in Dubai last year, nations pledged to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. They also vowed to transition away from fossil fuels.

The IEA said renewable power generation capacity is set to rise from 4,250 GW today to nearly 10,000 GW in 2030 as costs for most clean technologies are falling.

While it falls short of the COP28 tripling target, it is "more than enough" to cover the growth in global electricity demand and "push coal-fired generation into decline".

China accounted for 60 percent of the new renewable capacity added in the world last year.

By the early 2030s, the country's solar power generation will exceed the total electricity demand of the United States today, the report found.

In many developing countries, however, "policy uncertainty and a high cost of capital are holding back clean energy projects".

- 'Insatiable' demand -

Global carbon dioxide emissions are set to peak "imminently" but today's policies still leave the world on a path towards having a rise of 2.4C in average temperatures by 2100, the IEA warned.

"2024 showed that electricity demand is insatiable," said Dave Jones, global insights programme director at Ember, an energy think tank.

"That means global coal generation would fall less quickly than previously expected. This means the world is not yet transitioning away from fossil fuels and reducing CO2 emissions in the energy sector," he added.

Despite a record deployment of clean energy, two-thirds of the increase in global energy demand was met by fossil fuels last year, the IEA said.

Energy-related CO2 emissions hit another record high last year.

"Renewable growth is creating an energy abundance, but this will only translate into a substantive fall in CO2 emissions if there is simultaneously a strong focus on using energy as wastelessly as possible," Jones said.

Related Links

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
ENERGY NEWS
Climate pact needs 'hundreds of billions' in state money: COP29 hosts
Paris (AFP) Oct 14, 2024
The hosts of the coming UN climate summit said Monday that a hard-fought finance pact for poorer countries must include "hundreds of billions" of dollars from wealthy governments. Nearly 200 countries are supposed to agree at COP29 how much money should flow every year from rich nations to poorer ones to help them prepare for climate change. But little progress has been achieved so far in the negotiations, with disagreements over who should pay, how much, and the scope and structure of the pact. ... read more

ENERGY NEWS
Entire island of Cuba left without electricity after failure of key power plant

'Age of Electricity' coming as fossil fuels set to peak: IEA

Japan youth sue utilities over climate impact

Climate pact needs 'hundreds of billions' in state money: COP29 hosts

ENERGY NEWS
Seeking new energy solutions from the sea in wave power biofuel and beyond

Efficient Nanobubble Production Method Explored by UCalgary Researchers

Chinese EV battery giant CATL reports jump in profits

Lab data confirm potential of geothermal's holy grail: superdeep, superhot rock as important renewable energy source

ENERGY NEWS
On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument

Renewables revolt in Sardinia, Italy's coal-fired island

Government action needed for world to meet renewables goal: IEA

DLR tests innovative sensor system in wind turbine rotor blades

ENERGY NEWS
Bright future for solar panels and screens with new nanocrystal research

Computer simulations offer new insights into enhancing solar cell materials

Streamlined perovskite solar cells offer path to cheaper, more efficient energy

Telescopes could help power isolated communities in Chile's Atacama Desert

ENERGY NEWS
Framatome to provide long-term fuel supply for Trillo nuclear plant

Japan shifting back to nuclear to ditch coal, power AI

Zelensky's nuclear arms comments 'dangerous provocation': Putin

Amazon bets on nuclear power to fuel AI ambitions

ENERGY NEWS
Baylor engineers introduce ultra-clean biofuel combustion technology

Innovative catalyst converts CO2 to methane using electricity

Construction of largest research facility for e-fuel production begins in Germany

New process converts plant waste into sustainable jet fuel

ENERGY NEWS
U.S. stealth bombers strike 'hardened' underground weapons sites in Houthi-run parts of Yemen

Iowa Supreme Court mulling Summit pipeline lawsuit

Iran condemns 'illegal and unjustified' US sanctions on oil industry: ministry

Israel tells US will not hit Iran's nuclear or oil facilities: media

ENERGY NEWS
Draft UN climate pact leaves open thorny question of money

Historic southern Africa drought starving millions: UN

World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts

The long walk for water in the parched Colombian Amazon

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.