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36026 How much of global energy comes from low-carbon sources? untitled-reusable-block-225 wp_block publish <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas <a href="https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Emissions-by-sector.png">emissions come from</a> the burning of fossil fuels for energy.{ref}The remaining quarter comes from industrial processes (such as cement production), agriculture, land use change and waste.{/ref} To reduce global emissions we need to shift our energy systems away from fossil fuels to low-carbon sources of energy. We need to ‘decarbonize’.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>How big is this challenge? How much of our energy currently comes from low-carbon sources?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the chart here we see the breakdown of global primary energy consumption for 2019.{ref} This is based on primary energy data published annually in BP’s <a href="https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.html">Statistical Review of World Energy</a>.{/ref}&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before we look at the numbers, there are two points to note:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li>Here we take primary energy based on the <em>‘substitution method’</em> for energy accounting. For those interested in energy accounting methods, at the end of this post we look at comparisons of direct versus substitution methods. The quick summary of it is that this accounting method tries to account for the energy lost from the inefficiencies in fossil fuel production and aims to provide the appropriate comparison of how much more low-carbon energy we would need to replace fossil fuels in the energy mix. It’s one of the preferred accounting method used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).{ref}Krey V., O. Masera, G. Blanford, T. Bruckner, R. Cooke, K. Fisher-Vanden, H. Haberl, E. Hertwich, E. Kriegler, D. Mueller, S. Paltsev, L. Price, S. Schlömer, D. Ürge-Vorsatz, D. van Vuuren, and T. Zwickel, 2014: <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-ii.pdf">Annex II: Metrics &amp; Methodology</a>. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.{/ref}</li><li>These figures don’t include energy produced from traditional biomass. This is because most international energy agencies – such as BP, IEA or EIA – only track data on commercially-traded fuels. Traditional biomass – which are <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/indoor-air-pollution#indoor-air-pollution-results-from-poor-access-to-clean-cooking-fuels">solid fuels</a> such as wood, crop residues and charcoal – can be a key source of energy for people living at lower incomes, but it is challenging to quantify and timely data is not available. Based on <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-energy-substitution">crude estimates from earlier data</a> I would expect it to currently account for an additional 6% of global energy.</li></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>16% of global primary energy came from low-carbon sources in 2019</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We see that in 2019, almost 16% (15.7% to be precise) of global primary energy came from low-carbon sources. Low-carbon sources are the sum of nuclear energy and renewables – which includes hydropower, wind, solar, bioenergy, geothermal and wave and tidal.{ref}The emissions from these sources are not necessarily zero – the mining of materials, production, maintenance and decommissioning of these technologies may produce some carbon, but per unit of&nbsp; energy this is&nbsp; very small relative to fossil fuels.<br><br>Schlömer S., T. Bruckner, L. Fulton, E. Hertwich, A. McKinnon, D. Perczyk, J. Roy, R. Schaeffer, R. Sims, P. Smith, and R. Wiser, 2014: <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf">Annex III: Technology-specific cost and performance parameters. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change</a>. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.{/ref}</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11.4% came from renewables; and 4.3% came from nuclear.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hydropower and nuclear account for most of our low-carbon energy: combined they account for 10.7%. Wind produces just 2.2%, and solar 1.1% – but both sources are&nbsp; <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/percentage-change-energy-by-source">growing quickly</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite producing more and more energy from renewables each year, the global energy mix is still dominated by coal, oil, and gas. Not only does most of our energy – 84% of it – come from fossil fuels, we continue to burn more each year: total <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-fossil-fuel-consumption">production has increased</a> from 116,214 to 136,761 TWh in the last 10 years.&nbsp;<br>We’ve seen the breakdown of the energy mix today. But this does tell us about how it’s changing over time. Are we making progress in decarbonization over time? We look at this question in a related post <strong>here</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":35642,"sizeSlug":"large"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source-800x372.png" alt="" class="wp-image-35642"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> 
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                        "text": " the burning of fossil fuels for energy.{ref}The remaining quarter comes from industrial processes (such as cement production), agriculture, land use change and waste.{/ref} To reduce global emissions we need to shift our energy systems away from fossil fuels to low-carbon sources of energy. We need to \u2018decarbonize\u2019.",
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 2020-08-21 05:12:04 2024-02-16 14:23:00   
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   2020-08-21 06:12:17 2020-08-25 12:22:29   
{}
 Around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas [emissions come from](https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Emissions-by-sector.png) the burning of fossil fuels for energy.{ref}The remaining quarter comes from industrial processes (such as cement production), agriculture, land use change and waste.{/ref} To reduce global emissions we need to shift our energy systems away from fossil fuels to low-carbon sources of energy. We need to ‘decarbonize’. How big is this challenge? How much of our energy currently comes from low-carbon sources? In the chart here we see the breakdown of global primary energy consumption for 2019.{ref} This is based on primary energy data published annually in BP’s [Statistical Review of World Energy](https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.html).{/ref}  Before we look at the numbers, there are two points to note: * Here we take primary energy based on the _‘substitution method’_ for energy accounting. For those interested in energy accounting methods, at the end of this post we look at comparisons of direct versus substitution methods. The quick summary of it is that this accounting method tries to account for the energy lost from the inefficiencies in fossil fuel production and aims to provide the appropriate comparison of how much more low-carbon energy we would need to replace fossil fuels in the energy mix. It’s one of the preferred accounting method used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).{ref}Krey V., O. Masera, G. Blanford, T. Bruckner, R. Cooke, K. Fisher-Vanden, H. Haberl, E. Hertwich, E. Kriegler, D. Mueller, S. Paltsev, L. Price, S. Schlömer, D. Ürge-Vorsatz, D. van Vuuren, and T. Zwickel, 2014: [Annex II: Metrics & Methodology](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-ii.pdf). In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.{/ref} * These figures don’t include energy produced from traditional biomass. This is because most international energy agencies – such as BP, IEA or EIA – only track data on commercially-traded fuels. Traditional biomass – which are [solid fuels](https://ourworldindata.org/indoor-air-pollution#indoor-air-pollution-results-from-poor-access-to-clean-cooking-fuels) such as wood, crop residues and charcoal – can be a key source of energy for people living at lower incomes, but it is challenging to quantify and timely data is not available. Based on [crude estimates from earlier data](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-energy-substitution) I would expect it to currently account for an additional 6% of global energy. ## 16% of global primary energy came from low-carbon sources in 2019 We see that in 2019, almost 16% (15.7% to be precise) of global primary energy came from low-carbon sources. Low-carbon sources are the sum of nuclear energy and renewables – which includes hydropower, wind, solar, bioenergy, geothermal and wave and tidal.{ref}The emissions from these sources are not necessarily zero – the mining of materials, production, maintenance and decommissioning of these technologies may produce some carbon, but per unit of  energy this is  very small relative to fossil fuels. Schlömer S., T. Bruckner, L. Fulton, E. Hertwich, A. McKinnon, D. Perczyk, J. Roy, R. Schaeffer, R. Sims, P. Smith, and R. Wiser, 2014: [Annex III: Technology-specific cost and performance parameters. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf). Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.{/ref} 11.4% came from renewables; and 4.3% came from nuclear. Hydropower and nuclear account for most of our low-carbon energy: combined they account for 10.7%. Wind produces just 2.2%, and solar 1.1% – but both sources are  [growing quickly](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/percentage-change-energy-by-source). Despite producing more and more energy from renewables each year, the global energy mix is still dominated by coal, oil, and gas. Not only does most of our energy – 84% of it – come from fossil fuels, we continue to burn more each year: total [production has increased](https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-fossil-fuel-consumption) from 116,214 to 136,761 TWh in the last 10 years.  We’ve seen the breakdown of the energy mix today. But this does tell us about how it’s changing over time. Are we making progress in decarbonization over time? We look at this question in a related post **here**. <Image filename="Global-primary-energy-by-source.png" alt=""/> 
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            "content": "\n<p>Around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas <a href=\"https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Emissions-by-sector.png\">emissions come from</a> the burning of fossil fuels for energy.{ref}The remaining quarter comes from industrial processes (such as cement production), agriculture, land use change and waste.{/ref} To reduce global emissions we need to shift our energy systems away from fossil fuels to low-carbon sources of energy. We need to \u2018decarbonize\u2019.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>How big is this challenge? How much of our energy currently comes from low-carbon sources?</p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the chart here we see the breakdown of global primary energy consumption for 2019.{ref} This is based on primary energy data published annually in BP\u2019s <a href=\"https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.html\">Statistical Review of World Energy</a>.{/ref}&nbsp;</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before we look at the numbers, there are two points to note:</p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Here we take primary energy based on the <em>\u2018substitution method\u2019</em> for energy accounting. For those interested in energy accounting methods, at the end of this post we look at comparisons of direct versus substitution methods. The quick summary of it is that this accounting method tries to account for the energy lost from the inefficiencies in fossil fuel production and aims to provide the appropriate comparison of how much more low-carbon energy we would need to replace fossil fuels in the energy mix. It\u2019s one of the preferred accounting method used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).{ref}Krey V., O. Masera, G. Blanford, T. Bruckner, R. Cooke, K. Fisher-Vanden, H. Haberl, E. Hertwich, E. Kriegler, D. Mueller, S. Paltsev, L. Price, S. Schl\u00f6mer, D. \u00dcrge-Vorsatz, D. van Vuuren, and T. Zwickel, 2014: <a href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-ii.pdf\">Annex II: Metrics &amp; Methodology</a>. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schl\u00f6mer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.{/ref}</li><li>These figures don\u2019t include energy produced from traditional biomass. This is because most international energy agencies \u2013 such as BP, IEA or EIA \u2013 only track data on commercially-traded fuels. Traditional biomass \u2013 which are <a href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/indoor-air-pollution#indoor-air-pollution-results-from-poor-access-to-clean-cooking-fuels\">solid fuels</a> such as wood, crop residues and charcoal \u2013 can be a key source of energy for people living at lower incomes, but it is challenging to quantify and timely data is not available. Based on <a href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-energy-substitution\">crude estimates from earlier data</a> I would expect it to currently account for an additional 6% of global energy.</li></ul>\n\n\n\n<h4>16% of global primary energy came from low-carbon sources in 2019</h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We see that in 2019, almost 16% (15.7% to be precise) of global primary energy came from low-carbon sources. Low-carbon sources are the sum of nuclear energy and renewables \u2013 which includes hydropower, wind, solar, bioenergy, geothermal and wave and tidal.{ref}The emissions from these sources are not necessarily zero \u2013 the mining of materials, production, maintenance and decommissioning of these technologies may produce some carbon, but per unit of&nbsp; energy this is&nbsp; very small relative to fossil fuels.<br><br>Schl\u00f6mer S., T. Bruckner, L. Fulton, E. Hertwich, A. McKinnon, D. Perczyk, J. Roy, R. Schaeffer, R. Sims, P. Smith, and R. Wiser, 2014: <a href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf\">Annex III: Technology-specific cost and performance parameters. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change</a>. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schl\u00f6mer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.{/ref}</p>\n\n\n\n<p>11.4% came from renewables; and 4.3% came from nuclear.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hydropower and nuclear account for most of our low-carbon energy: combined they account for 10.7%. Wind produces just 2.2%, and solar 1.1% \u2013 but both sources are&nbsp; <a href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/percentage-change-energy-by-source\">growing quickly</a>.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite producing more and more energy from renewables each year, the global energy mix is still dominated by coal, oil, and gas. Not only does most of our energy \u2013 84% of it \u2013 come from fossil fuels, we continue to burn more each year: total <a href=\"https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-fossil-fuel-consumption\">production has increased</a> from 116,214 to 136,761 TWh in the last 10 years.&nbsp;<br>We\u2019ve seen the breakdown of the energy mix today. But this does tell us about how it\u2019s changing over time. Are we making progress in decarbonization over time? We look at this question in a related post <strong>here</strong>.</p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"372\" src=\"https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source-800x372.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35642\" srcset=\"https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source-800x372.png 800w, https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source-400x186.png 400w, https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source-150x70.png 150w, https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source-768x357.png 768w, https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source-1536x714.png 1536w, https://owid.cloud/app/uploads/2020/08/Global-primary-energy-by-source.png 1817w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" /></figure>\n"
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Links from other tables