‘Turning Point in Energy History’ as Solar, Wind Start Pushing Fossil Fuels Off the Grid

Solar and wind energy grew quickly enough in 2023 to push renewables up to 30% of global electricity supply and begin pushing fossil fuels off the power grid, the Ember climate consultancy concludes in a report released May 8.

The report projects that fossil-fuelled electricity generation will decline 2% next year, because while demand is expected to grow rapidly, renewables will grow even faster.

“With record construction of solar and wind in 2023, a new era of falling fossil generation is imminent,” the London, UK-based think tank writes. Renewable energy growth is “breaking records and driving ever-cleaner electricity production,” bringing the world to “a turning point where solar and wind not only slow emissions growth, but actually start to push fossil generation into decline.”

Already, “the rollout of clean generation, led by solar and wind, has helped to slow the growth in fossil fuels by almost two-thirds in the last 10 years,” the report states. “As a result, half the world’s economies are already at least five years past a peak in electricity generation from fossil fuels,” with OECD countries leading the charge since 2007.

Find out more about analysis that could shift the way you think about future power supply options.