Clean energy powers over 40% electricity for first time since 1940s

Clean energy sources accounted for 40.9% of the world’s electricity in 2024, according to a new report by energy think tank Ember. This is the highest share since the 1940s, when hydroelectric stations dominated a smaller global energy market.

Despite this milestone, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have reached a record high of 14.6 billion tonnes. Hotter weather, which drove up demand for air conditioning, led to a 4% increase in electricity use—prompting more reliance on fossil fuel power stations.

“Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,” said Phil Macdonald, Ember’s managing director. “Hotter weather drove the fossil generation increase in 2024, but we’re very unlikely to see a similar jump in 2025.”

Solar power remains the fastest-growing source of electricity for the 20th consecutive year, with output doubling every three years since 2012. China leads the charge, contributing over half of the global solar increase, while India doubled its solar capacity between 2023 and 2024.

However, solar still only makes up just under 7% of the global electricity supply—roughly enough to power all of India. Wind accounts for a little over 8%, while hydropower, the largest clean source, contributes 14%. Nuclear energy makes up about 9%.

Though renewables are expanding quickly, they haven’t yet overtaken rising energy demands—particularly in rapidly growing Asian economies like India and China, which still rely heavily on coal and gas.

Fossil fuel use climbed by 1.4% last year, with coal making up 34% of global generation and gas contributing 22%.

The European Copernicus climate service also reported that March 2025 was the second hottest on record, extending an ongoing pattern of high global temperatures.

Ember had previously forecast that CO2 emissions would soon begin to decline, but rising electricity consumption continues to delay that shift.

The report underscores a key tension in the global energy transition: while clean energy is growing, it’s not yet outpacing the demand that still fuels fossil energy.