Global demand for electricity is growing faster than the deployment of renewable energies, amplifying the use of fossil fuels and first of all coal, the main sources of global warming, warns the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday.
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With the economic recovery, demand for electricity is expected to grow by 5% in 2021, an increase of which nearly half will be met by fossil fuels, gas but especially coal, enough to "
increase CO2 emissions from the electricity sector. to record levels in 2022
”, points out the half-year report on the electricity market.
CO2 emissions from the electricity sector are expected to increase by 3.5% in 2021
Asia (especially China and India) draws most of the demand for electricity, which is expected to pick up again by 5% this year and 4% next year, after falling by 1% in 2020 due to the pandemic. The share of renewable origin (dams, wind power, solar power, etc.) should increase sharply, by some 8% in 2021 and 6% in 2022, estimates the International Energy Agency on the basis of major economic trends and known national measures.
But renewables should only cover half of the additional demand announced.
Some 45% will be covered by fossil fuels (40% in 2022), the rest by nuclear energy.
Consequence: CO2 emissions from the electricity sector, after decreasing over the past two years, should increase by 3.5% in 2021 and 2.5% in 2022, reaching a record level.
Carbon neutrality objective by 2050
"
Electricity from renewable sources is growing impressively in many parts of the world, but not yet enough to put us on the path to net zero emissions by mid-century,
" said Keisuke Sadamori, Director of Markets and Energy Security at of the IEA.
"
To move on a sustainable path, we must massively increase investments in clean technologies, in particular renewables and energy efficiency
."
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If the world wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it must start by reducing its emissions in the electricity sector, the easiest to decarbonize. For the IEA, this means that production from coal, the hottest fuel of all, must fall by more than 6% per year in 2020-25; however, at this stage it should grow by 5% this year and by 3% in 2022, estimates the Agency.