Page 10 - REM Annual Review 2021

REM APRIL REM

Global green power

progress is too slow

Wind and solar drive a record fall in coal generation in 2020, but the pace of
change must be faster if climate targets are to be met, writes Richard Lockhart

GLOBAL GLOBAL power generation dipped by 346 TWh, “The finding that newly added renewable
or 0.1%, in 2020 as the coronavirus (COVID-19) generation failed to meet the additional power
WHAT: pandemic reduced demand for electricity. demand highlights an additional challenge in
Global power generation Energy think-tank Ember found in its Global countries like China that are experiencing high
decreased by 0.1% in Electricity Review, published this week, that electricity demand growth. More aggressive
2020 despite falling global output, China was the only renewable development plans and energy effi-
G20 country to see a large increase in coal gen- ciency policy are required. Rather than building
WHY: eration in 2020. new coal capacity, existing coal capacity should
The global pandemic held The report warned that the fall in generation also be better utilised to facilitate large-scale
back demand growth, but would be temporary, and the underlying trend, renewable uptake before its phase-out in the
this was only temporary, noticeable since 2015, was for growth in elec- coming years,” said Xunpeng Shi, president of
as demand recovered at tricity demand and emissions to outpace growth the International Society for Energy Transition
the end of the year in clean electricity. Studies and joint author of the report.
“As electricity demand resumes and increases, On the other hand, coal’s growth cannot hide
the world will need to do a lot more to ensure China’s considerable renewables growth, which
WHAT NEXT: coal keeps falling,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s stood at 821 TWh in 2020.
Replacing fossil fuels, global lead. Wind and solar now supply almost a tenth of
especially coal, with “With coal use already rising in 2021 across China’s electricity, in line with the world average.
renewables must happen China, India and the US, it’s clear the big step-up Compared to other G20 countries, China has
faster if the Paris targets is yet to happen.” made consistent progress on transitioning to a
and net zero are to be The report warned that the 0.1% fall in low-carbon electricity future since 2015, with
met. demand was the first since 2009, when the wind and solar gaining a 6% market share from
global financial crisis hit. Even within 2020, coal.
global demand in December had recovered and However, because of the rapid growth in
was greater than in December 2019. electricity demand, although coal’s share fell rel-
atively in China, absolute coal generation con-
China tinued to increase. Coal was responsible for 39%
China was singled out in the report as a global of China’s electricity demand growth (734 TWh
outlier, as it was the only country to expand its out of 1,884 TWh).
use of coal as a generating fuel. “Despite some progress, China is still strug-
The report acknowledged that China had gling to curb its coal generation growth. Fast-ris-
been successful in increasing access to electric- ing demand for electricity is driving up coal
ity. Indeed, per capita demand is now above the power and emissions. More sustainable demand
United Kingdom and Italy, and total Chinese growth will enable China to phase out its large
demand grew by 33%, or 1,880 TWh, between coal fleet, especially the least efficient sub-critical
2015 and 2020. coal units, and provide greater opportunity for
While over half of the increase in demand the country to attain its climate aspirations,” said
since 2015 has been met by clean sources, 39% Ember senior analyst Muyi Yang.
was provided by coal.
This 1.7% expansion in coal power contrasts Solar, wind and coal
with the world’s next largest coal power con- In terms of generating fuels across the globe,
sumers, which all saw reductions in coal’s share wind and solar proved to be most resilient to the
of generation. This list includes India (-5%), the pandemic, with a 15% (314 TWh) rise in output
United States (-20%), Japan (-1%) and South in 2020.
Korea (-13%). Worldwide, coal power fell by a Wind and solar now accounts almost a tenth
record 4% (346 TWh). of global electricity, with many G20 countries
Indeed, China was responsible for more than close to this average, including India (9%),
half (53%) of the world’s coal-fired electricity in China (9.5%), Japan (10%), Brazil (11%), the
2020, up from 44% in 2015. US (12%) and Turkey (12%).

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