Wind and solar achieve a record high of 12% of global electricity in 2022
Wind and solar reached a record 12% of global electricity in 2022, up from 10% in 2021, according to a report launched today by energy think tank Ember – and experts predict that power sector emissions have peaked.
Ember’s fourth annual Global Electricity Review presents electricity data from 2022 across 78 countries, representing 93% of global electricity demand. Ember asserts that its open data and in-depth analysis provide the first accurate picture of the global electricity transition in 2022.
The report has good news: It forecasts that as soon as 2023, wind and solar will push the world into a new era of falling fossil-fuel generation and, therefore, a reduction in power sector emissions.
The report’s lead author, Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, said:
In this decisive decade for the climate, it is the beginning of the end of the fossil age.
We are entering the clean power era.
Solar was the fastest-growing source of electricity for the 18th year in a row, rising by 24% year-on-year – +245 TWh – and adding enough electricity to power all of South Africa. Wind generation increased by 17% in 2022 – +312 TWh – enough to power almost all of the UK.
The report reveals that over 60 countries now generate more than 10% of their electricity from wind and solar. Together, all clean electricity sources – Ember includes nuclear in its tally – reached 39% of global electricity, a new record high.
Kingsmill Bond, CFA, energy strategist at RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute), said:
Ember’s analysis captures a key tipping point in the global electricity system. The rapid growth of solar and wind, led by China, means that fossil fuel demand has reached a peak and all the future growth will be from renewables. It is time for investors to adjust their capital allocation for this new environment.
But despite this progress, coal power remained the single largest source of electricity worldwide, producing 36% of global electricity in 2022.
Li Shuo, senior policy adviser at Greenpeace East Asia, noted:
China is the 800-pound gorilla when it comes to the global power sector. This is not only because of China’s sheer scale, but also a concerning trend of its electricity sector development. China has no doubt been leading global renewable energy expansion. But at the same time, the country is accelerating coal project approval.
…
Rapid power sector reforms are needed to put the country back to the carbon neutrality vision it has set for itself.
The growth in wind and solar generation in 2022 met an impressive 80% of the rise in global electricity demand. In spite of the global gas crisis and fears of a return to coal, it was that rise in wind and solar that limited the increase in coal generation (+1.1%, or +108 TWh). Gas power generation fell very slightly (-0.2%, or -12 TWh) in 2022. But that still meant that power sector emissions increased by 1.3% in 2022, reaching an all-time high.
However, the report forecasts that 2022 may be the “peak” of electricity emissions and the final year of fossil-fuel power growth, with clean power meeting all demand growth in 2023. As a result, there would be a slight fall in fossil-fuel generation (-0.3%) this year, with larger drops in subsequent years as wind and solar deployment accelerate.
According to the International Energy Agency, the electricity sector needs to move from being the highest-emitting sector to being the first sector to reach net zero by 2040 in order to achieve economy-wide net zero by 2050.
This would mean wind and solar reaching 41% of global electricity by 2030, compared to 12% in 2022.
Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka continued:
The stage is set for wind and solar to achieve a meteoric rise to the top. Clean electricity will reshape the global economy, from transport to industry and beyond. A new era of falling fossil emissions means the coal power phase-down will happen, and the end of gas power growth is now within sight. Change is coming fast.
However, it all depends on the actions taken now by governments, businesses, and citizens to put the world on a pathway to clean power by 2040.
Read more: Renewables will be the largest source of electricity by early 2025
Photo: Mexico Energy Partners
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If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine a fruit cart, a cargo bike, and a Piaggio Ape all in one vehicle, now you’ve got your answer. I submit, for your approval, this week’s feature for the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column – and it’s a beautiful doozie.
Feast your eyes on this salad slinging, coleslaw cruising, tuber taxiing produce chariot!
I think this electric vegetable trike might finally scratch the itch long felt by many of my readers. It seems every time I cover an electric trike, even the really cool ones, I always get commenters poo-poo-ing it for having two wheels in the rear instead of two wheels in the front. Well, here you go, folks!
Designed with two front wheels for maximum stability, this trike keeps your cucumbers in check through every corner. Because trust me, you don’t want to hit a pothole and suddenly be juggling peaches like you’re in Cirque du Soleil: Farmers Market Edition.
To avoid the extra cost of designing a linked steering system for a pair of front wheels, the engineers who brought this salad shuttle to life simply side-stepped that complexity altogether by steering the entire fixed front end. I’ve got articulating electric tractors that steer like this, and so if it works for a several-ton work machine, it should work for a couple hundred pounds of cargo bike.
Featuring a giant cargo bed up front with four cascading fruit baskets set up for roadside sales, this cargo bike is something of a blank slate. Sure, you could monetize grandma’s vegetable garden, or you could fill it with your own ideas and concoctions. Our exceedingly talented graphics wizard sees it as the perfect coffee and pastry e-bike for my new startup, The Handlebarista, and I’m not one to argue. Basically, the sky is the limit with a blank slate bike like this!
Sure, the quality doesn’t quite match something like a fancy Tern cargo bike. The rim brakes aren’t exactly confidence-inspiring, but at least there are three of them. And if they should all give out, or just not quite slow you down enough to avoid that quickly approaching brick wall, then at least you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of tomatoes as a tasty crumple zone.
The electrical system does seem a bit underpowered. With a 36V battery and a 250W motor, I don’t know if one-third of a horsepower is enough to haul a full load to the local farmer’s market. But I guess if the weight is a bit much for the little motor, you could always do some snacking along the way. On the other hand, all the pictures seem to show a non-electric version. So if this cart is presumably mobile on pedal power alone, then that extra motor assist, however small, is going to feel like a very welcome guest.
The $950 price is presumably for the electric version, since that’s what’s in the title of the listing, though I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. I’ve bought a LOT of stuff on Alibaba, including many electric vehicles, and the too-good-to-be-true price is always exactly that. In my experience, you can multiply the Alibaba price by 3-4x to get the actual landed price for things like these. Even so, $3,000-$4,000 wouldn’t be a terrible price, considering a lot of electric trikes stateside already cost that much and don’t even come with a quad-set of vegetable baskets on board!
I should also put my normal caveat in here about not actually buying one of these. Please, please don’t try to buy one of these awesome cargo e-trikes. This is a silly, tongue-in-cheek weekend column where I scour the ever-entertaining underbelly of China’s massive e-commerce site Alibaba in search of fun, quirky, and just plain awesomely weird electric vehicles. While I’ve successfully bought several fun things on the platform, I’ve also gotten scammed more than once, so this is not for the timid or the tight-budgeted among us.
That isn’t to say that some of my more stubborn readers haven’t followed in my footsteps before, ignoring my advice and setting out on their own wild journey. But please don’t be the one who risks it all and gets nothing in return. Don’t say I didn’t warn you; this is the warning.
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Environment
Podcast: Trump/GOP go after EV/solar, Tesla, Ford, GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Trump’s Big Beautiful bill becoming law and going after EVs and solar, Tesla, Ford, and GM EV sales, Electrek Formula Sun, and more
Today’s episode is brought to you by Bosch Mobility Aftermarket—A global leader and trusted provider of automotive aftermarket parts. To celebrate Amazon Prime Day July 8th through 11th, Bosch Mobility is offering exclusive savings on must-have auto parts and tools. Learn more here.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
- Electrek FSGP 2025: New teams, new cars, same solar spirit
- Congress votes to send 2 million US jobs to China, increase deficit, energy costs
- Tesla (TSLA) confirms 384,000 deliveries in Q2 2025, right on expectations
- Tesla prototype sparks speculation: a Model Y, maybe slightly smaller
- Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries
- Tesla unveils its LFP battery factory, claims it’s almost ready
- Here’s why Ford’s electric vehicle sales crashed by nearly a third in Q2
- The Chevy Equinox EV is GM’s breakout star, but that’s not the only surprise
- Xpeng launches G7, a new Tesla Model Y competitor for just $27,000
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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