For the first time, the contribution of renewable sources in the production of electricity, in the global energy mix, exceeded the level of 30%, emphasizes a report of the research center for energy issues Ember, which is released today.

Internationally, energy from renewable sources went from 19% in 2020 to 30% and more in 2023, thanks mainly to the leap in solar and wind installations, the text says.

The percentage of “clean” energy would be even higher if hydroelectric generation had not fallen to a five-year low due to droughts, particularly in China.

Photovoltaic and wind installations contributed 13.4% of the electricity produced internationally and the remaining percentage of “clean” energy came from other renewable sources, notably hydroelectric plants. The percentage of energy from clean sources in the mix did not exceed 2% in 2010.

For Ember, this increase could allow the world, “possibly as early as this year,” to drastically reduce energy production by burning fossil fuels.

“The reduction of energy sector emissions is now inevitable,” noted Ember expert Dave Jones, who said “2023 may have been (…) a turning point in the history” of electricity production.

However, “the pace of emissions reduction will depend on the speed with which the renewable energy revolution continues,” he added.

States committed at the UN climate summit at the end of 2023, COP28, to act to triple the global generation potential from renewable energy sources by 2030. This would allow the contribution of renewable sources to the global energy mix to reach 60%, Ember points out.