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Fossil fuels remained the world’s dominant source of electricity last year, generating 57 percent of global power despite the rapid expansion of renewable energy, according to a report by the Pew Research Centre based on data from energy think tank Ember.
The report showed that electricity generated from coal, natural gas and oil declined from 65 per cent of global generation in 2000 to 57 per cent last year. However, the Energy Institute‘s Statistical Review of World Energy estimated that fossil fuels still accounted for 86 per cent of global primary energy consumption, a share that has remained largely unchanged over the past two decades.
Wind and solar power continued to record strong growth, with both sources contributing 17 percent of global electricity generation last year, compared with less than five percent a decade earlier.
When combined with hydropower, geothermal and tidal energy, renewable sources generated a larger share of global electricity than fossil fuels, reflecting the significant contribution of long-established hydropower infrastructure.
The report also noted that nuclear energy’s contribution to global electricity generation fell from 17 percent in 2000 to nine per cent last year.
According to the Energy Institute, electricity demand is increasing faster than new generation capacity is being added, allowing coal, gas and oil to remain major sources of power because they can be supplied on demand, unlike wind and solar energy.
China recorded the greatest expansion in wind and solar capacity but remained the world’s largest consumer of coal, revealing the gap between renewable energy investment and actual energy consumption.
The report further showed that the European Union generated more electricity from non-fossil fuel sources than from coal and gas last year.
In Nigeria, gas-fired power plants continue to dominate electricity generation, producing about 70 per cent of the country’s power supply despite growing interest in renewable energy.
