Key highlights

22%

Share of global energy demand met through electricity in 2022

-47%

Potential global fossil fuel import reduction through EVs and heat pumps alone

-40%

Reduction in primary energy demand if today’s energy system was fully electrified

Electrification replaces the burning of fossil fuels with electricity generation, delivering greater energy efficiency and less dependence on fossil imports

Electrification is the process of shifting from burning fossil fuels to using electricity. For example using electric vehicles instead of petrol or diesel cars or heat pumps in place of gas boilers.

Electrification is a rewiring of the global energy system and the primary route to reducing fossil fuel reliance, boosting energy security and cutting emissions. Switching to electricity-based technologies such as heat pumps over gas boilers and electric vehicles over petrol or diesel cars requires three to four times less energy to do the same work.

Electrifying sectors like heating, transport and industry redefines energy security, allowing every country to avoid continuous reliance on costly fossil fuel imports. Three-quarters of the world’s population live in countries that are net importers of fossil fuels, with the majority of these imports consumed outside of the power sector. Electrification enables countries to supply their energy needs through homegrown electricity, making the most of cheap and fast-to-build technologies like wind and solar.

The potential for electrification is growing every day. As technologies like electric cars, electric arc furnaces and residential heat pumps reach scale, they drive down costs and open new markets – from heavy-duty vehicles and industrial heat. Ember’s research shows that countries moving the fastest on electrification will eventually lead in industrial competitiveness.

Anchor point: Our work

Our work

Scaling electrification to raise the ceiling on clean power

Ember’s regional policy teams in Asia and Europe publish evidence-based analysis on the benefits that electrification can deliver. In India, our analysis provides a strategy for electrifying large industries . We have also looked at the role of electrification in China, as its energy transition moves beyond the buildout of wind and solar capacity. In the UK, our research quantified the efficiency benefits of electrified transport and heating, as well as the implications this has for reducing fossil fuel imports and costs for consumers. On a global level, the Ember Futures team is exploring the opportunities for electrification as a driver of the energy transition.

Across these regions, Ember’s research identifies three consistent enabling conditions for successful electrification. These are clear policy frameworks for demand-side targets, grid investment at par with renewables deployment and technology cost trajectories that make electric alternatives cheaper than fossil fuel equivalents.. Countries that align these three conditions are deploying electrification at the fastest rates.

Electrification has far-reaching implications, from reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports to cutting emissions. It also represents the biggest opportunity for domestic value creation—through infrastructure, supply chains, and industrial capacity—and the most direct source of consumer benefit, from lower energy expenditure to higher-value products.