cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/19965216
Here is the report (pdf)
The world’s appetite for energy rose at a faster-than-average pace in 2024, resulting in higher demand for all energy sources, including oil, natural gas, coal, renewables and nuclear power, the World Energy Report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) show.
The report finds that global energy demand rose by 2.2% last year – lower than GDP growth of 3.2% but considerably faster than the average annual demand increase of 1.3% between 2013 and 2023. Emerging and developing economies accounted for over 80% of the increase in global energy demand in 2024.
The acceleration in global energy demand growth in 2024 was led by the power sector, with global electricity consumption surging by nearly 1,100 terawatt-hours, or 4.3%. This was nearly double the annual average over the past decade.
The sharp increase in the world’s electricity use last year was driven by record global temperatures, which boosted demand for cooling in many countries, as well as by rising consumption from industry, the electrification of transport, and the growth of data centres and artificial intelligence.
80% of the increase in global electricity generation in 2024 was provided by renewable sources and nuclear, as renewable power capacity installed worldwide rose to around 700 gigawatts, setting a new annual record for the 22nd consecutive year, and Nuclear power capacity additions reached their fifth highest level in the past three decades. Therefore, renewables and nuclear power together contributed 40% of total generation for the first time.
Gas demand also picked up substantially, while oil and coal consumption increased more slowly than in 2023.
CO2 emissions from the energy sector continued to increase in 2024 but at a slower rate than in 2023. A key driver was record-high temperatures: if global weather patterns in 2023 had repeated in 2024, around half of the increase in global emissions would have been avoided.