Wind and solar reached a record 12% of global electricity in 2022, according to an independent energy think tank Ember’s latest report, reflecting a boom in renewable energy that researchers believe could signal the “beginning of the end of the fossil age.”
In 2022, 12% of the world’s energy was generated by solar and wind, up from 10% in 2021, said an analysis published on Wednesday by Ember.
The research found that solar was the fastest-growing electricity source for the 18th year running, with yearly growth of 24%, while wind generation grew by 17%.
Together, all clean electricity sources (renewables and nuclear) reached 39% of global electricity in 2022, a new record high.
“We are entering the clean power era,” said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember and lead author of the research. “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.”
Wiatros-Motyka added, “A new era of falling fossil emissions means the coal power phasedown will happen, and the end of gas power growth is now within sight.”
More than sixty nations now generate more than 10% of their power from renewable sources like wind and solar. However, due to a decline in nuclear output and fewer new nuclear and hydro facilities coming online, other sources of clean electricity decreased for the first time since 2011.