Clean power sources supplied more than 40% of the world’s electricity demand in 2024, marking the first time this threshold has been crossed since the 1940s, according to a new report from energy thinktank Ember.
The milestone was primarily driven by remarkable growth in solar power capacity, which has doubled globally in just the past three years. Solar farms have maintained their position as the world’s fastest-growing energy source for 20 consecutive years, cementing their role in the global energy transition.
“Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition,” said Phil MacDonald, Ember’s managing director. “Paired with battery storage, solar is set to be an unstoppable force. As the fastest-growing and largest source of new electricity, it is critical in meeting the world’s ever-increasing demand for electricity.”
Despite this growth, solar power still represents a relatively modest portion of the global energy mix, accounting for approximately 7% of worldwide electricity generation last year. Wind power contributed slightly more at just over 8%. Both technologies remain significantly overshadowed by hydropower, which provided 14% of global electricity in 2024 and has remained relatively stable in recent years.
Hydropower’s significance dates back to the 1940s when it constituted a large proportion of global electricity generation—though at that time the world’s power system was approximately 50 times smaller than today’s.
The report, which analyzed 93% of the global electricity market across 88 countries, found that emissions from the global power sector increased by 1.6% to an all-time high last year. This rise was attributed to a surge in electricity demand during worldwide heatwaves, which drove greater use of air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
Looking ahead, Ember predicts that clean power sources—including nuclear and bioenergy—will expand faster than overall electricity demand, potentially beginning to reduce fossil fuels’ share in the global power system. While heatwaves may not trigger similar demand surges in the coming year, increasing electricity use for artificial intelligence, data centers, electric vehicles, and heat pumps is expected to significantly impact global demand.
These technologies collectively contributed to a 0.7% increase in global electricity demand in 2024, double their impact from five years ago. Despite this growing demand, MacDonald expressed confidence that “booming solar and wind are comfortably set to deliver, and those expecting fossil fuel generation to keep rising will be disappointed.”