"Solar power has become the engine of the global energy transition", says Ember CEO Phil MacDonald in a press release about the think tank's compilation of data for 2024. "In combination with battery storage, the sun appears to be an unstoppable force".
Solar power grew by 29 percent last year, twice as much as any other power source. More than half of the growth came from China, and the next most active country in setting up panels was the USA.
A simultaneous significant increase in wind and hydroelectric power, plus the fact that nuclear power remained at roughly the same level, means that the share of what Ember classifies as "clean electricity" – i.e. fossil-free – has now exceeded the 40 percent mark worldwide – according to the think tank for the first time since the 1940s.
However, total production also increased in 2024, and thus fossil power also grew slightly, a fact that Ember explains with strong demand for air conditioning during the year's record-breaking heatwaves.
Ember's forecast is, however, that from this year onwards, the expansion of clean energy will be greater than the increase in demand – which could contribute to humanity's long-standing rising emission curves finally starting to decline.
Phil MacDonald puts it as "there is a lot of noise" in the energy debate, "but it's important to focus on the real picture – the era of fossil growth is coming to an end".
