London, 5 October – A report published today by energy think tank Ember reveals that global power sector emissions plateaued in the first half of 2023, with a slight increase of 0.2% compared to the same period last year, as wind and solar continue to grow. However, adverse hydro conditions–likely exacerbated by climate change–prevented emissions from falling.
The report analyses electricity data from January to June 2023, compared to the same period last year, across 78 countries representing 92% of global electricity demand.
Wind and solar were the only two electricity sources that significantly increased their share of global electricity, together providing 14.3% of global electricity in the first half of 2023, compared to 12.8% in the same period last year. Solar in particular is growing rapidly (+16%, +104 TWh), with 50 countries setting new monthly records for solar generation in the first half of 2023. China continues to be the leader in solar generation providing 43% of global growth in solar generation, while the EU, US and India accounted for about 12% each.