Page 5 - AfrElec Week 16 2021

AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec

Renewables expansiond
Electricity generation from renewables is set to energy sector.
grow by over 8% in 2021, accounting for more A key finding from the report is that CO2
than half of the increase in overall electricity sup- emissions from advanced economies have fallen
ply worldwide. by 1.8bn tonnes since 2000, and their share in
The biggest contribution to that growth global emissions has declined by twenty per-
comes from solar and wind, which are on track centage points to less than one-third of the
to achieve their largest annual rise in history. global total.
Electricity generation from wind is projected to Overall, electricity demand is due to grow by
grow by 275 TWh hours, or around 17%, from 4.5% in 2021, or over 1,000 TWh, after a 1% fall
2020. in 2020. This is almost five times greater than the
Electricity generation from solar PV is fore- decline in 2020.
cast to increase by 145 TWh, up 18% from last But the figures point to rising demand in
year. Their combined output is on track to reach Asia. With a projected 2021 GDP growth of 9%
more than 2,800 TWh hours in 2021. in China and 12% in India, electricity demand
Renewables are set to provide 30% of elec- is expected to grow by around 8% in both coun-
tricity generation worldwide in 2021, their big- tries compared with 2020.
gest share of the power mix since the beginning For China, the projected increase comes on
of the Industrial Revolution and up from less top of 2020 growth, putting demand in 2021
than 27% in 2019. almost 12% above 2019 levels. Southeast Asian
China is anticipated to account for almost countries are also predicted to see a strong
half of the global increase in electricity gener- return to growth, with demand increasing 5%
ation from renewables, followed by the United in 2021, putting total demand 3% above 2019
States, the European Union and India. levels.
Despite this green expansion, renewables Nevertheless, the report warned that renew-
have not been able to displace coal to a great ables can provide only half of the increase in
enough extent, with Asia, especially China, still electricity supply in 2021, with nuclear and fos-
reporting expanding coal consumption in the sil fuels accounting for the rest.™

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