A new report has found that for the first time 30% of electricity produced worldwide came from renewable energy sources, predominantly solar and wind.

UK climate think tank Ember has published a report – Global Electricity Review 2024 – that analysed electricity data from 215 countries, as well as examining data from the highest carbon emitting countries and regions of the world.

It finds that renewables generated a record 30% of global electricity in 2023. From the analysis, 2023 saw a 23% growth in solar generation, 10% growth in wind generation and only a 0.8% growth in fossil generation.

“The renewables future has arrived. Solar, in particular, is accelerating faster than anyone thought possible,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s director of global insights.

This surge in renewables has led to a slowing down in carbon emissions. Indeed, a separate report published in March 2024 from the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed that while global energy-related carbon emissions reached a record...