We publish the data of the International Energy Agency, which shows the ratio of different energy sources in the electricity generation sector. As we can see, renewable energy sources are actively replacing fossil fuels. The share of renewables in global electricity generation rose from 27% in 2019 to 29% in 2020, the biggest annual increase on record.
Global electricity generation mix, 2010-2020
Over the last ten years, the rise of renewables in the power sector has been having a growing impact on that sector’s emissions, with avoided carbon emissions growing by an average of 10% each year.
In the power sector, CO2 emissions declined by 3.3% (or 450 Mt) in 2020, the largest relative and absolute fall on record. So, while the pandemic reduced electricity demand last year, the accelerating expansion of power generation from renewables was the biggest contributor to lower emissions from the sector.
Despite the shock of the pandemic, renewables accelerated their expansion in 2020, with a 50% increase in their contribution to lowering power sector emissions relative to 2019.