Renewable energy sources will replace coal as the main source of energy for electricity generation worldwide in 2025, the International Energy Agency has announced.
In its annual electricity market report, the IEA stated that the share of renewable energy sources - in particular solar panels - should exceed a third of total electricity production, increasing from 30% last year to 37% in 2026 Mr.
If nuclear power is also included, which the IEA predicts will reach record levels next year, by 2026 almost half of the world's electricity will be produced from low-emission sources, up from just under 40% in 2023.
Strong growth in renewables will outpace increased electricity demand in industrialized countries as part of efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, the IEA said.
"The energy sector currently produces more CO2 emissions than any other sector in the global economy, so it is encouraging that the rapid growth of renewables and the steady expansion of nuclear power together are on track to meet all of the increase in global demand. of electricity in the next three years," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
This may also be the case in China, where coal produces more than half of its electricity, but much depends on hydropower output and the pace of economic recovery.
However, the IEA sees a slow structural decline in coal use, although developing countries will account for most of the increase in electricity demand in the coming years.
It expects coal-fired power to fall by an average of 1.7 percent a year through 2026, after rising 1.6 percent last year due to low levels of hydropower generation in China and India.
Electricity generated from natural gas should increase by about 1% per year over the period.
The IAEA expects electricity generated by nuclear power plants next year to reach the record level reached in 2021 as France completes repairs on several reactors and China, India, Japan, and South Korea start new ones. /BGNES
