The
CGN
Delingha
Solar
Thermal
Plant
–
Molten
Salt
Thermal
Energy
Storage
System,
a
50MW
energy
storage
project
in
Haixi
Mongolian
and
Tibetan
Autonomous
Prefecture,
Qinghai
Province
of
China
on
April
15,
2025.
Ma
Mingyan
/
China
News
Service
/
VCG
via
Getty
Images
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The
world’s
demand
for
oil,
gas,
renewables,
coal,
nuclear
and
hydropower
hit
a
record
high
in
2024,
with
all
growing
year-on-year
for
the
first
time
in
nearly
two
decades,
according
to
a
new
report
by
the
London-based
Energy
Institute
(EI).
The
74th
edition
of
the
Statistical
Review
of
World
Energy
found
that
together
wind
and
solar
grew
by
16
percent,
with
China’s
share
contributing
57
percent
of
new
additions.
“All
major
energy
sources,
including
nuclear
and
hydro,
hit
record
consumption
levels
(for
the
first
time
since
2006),
a
reflection
of
surging
global
demand,”
said
CEO
of
EI
Dr.
Nick
Wayth,
in
a
press
release
from
the
organization.
“No
country
has
shaped
this
outcome
more
than
China.
Its
rapid
expansion
of
renewable
capacity,
alongside
continued
reliance
on
coal,
gas,
and
oil,
is
driving
global
energy
trends.
The
scale
and
direction
of
China’s
energy
choices
will
be
pivotal
in
determining
whether
the
world
can
deliver
a
secure,
affordable,
and
low-carbon
energy
future.”
[embedded content]
Solar
and
wind
grew
at
almost
nine
times
the
rate
of
total
energy
demand
in
2024,
with
fossil
fuels
increasing
a
little
more
than
one
percent.
“Wind
and
solar
energy
alone
expanded
by
an
impressive
16%
in
2024,
nine
times
faster
than
total
energy
demand.
Yet
this
growth
did
not
fully
counterbalance
rising
demand
elsewhere,
with
total
fossil
fuel
use
growing
by
just
over
1%,
highlighting
a
transition
defined
as
much
by
disorder
as
by
progress,”
EI
said.
The
world’s
rise
in
total
annual
energy
demand
was
two
percent,
reaching
a
record
high
of
592
exajoules.
China
remained
the
biggest
emitter
of
global
carbon
emissions,
with
60
percent
of
the
country’s
electricity
coming
from
coal,
reported
The
Times.
“China
presents
a
paradox:
it
is
both
the
world’s
biggest
driver
of
clean
energy
growth
and
its
largest
source
of
emissions.
Its
trajectory
will
have
an
outsized
impact
on
the
global
energy
future,”
Wayth
said.
Electricity
demand
growth
was
four
percent,
continuing
to
outpace
energy’s
total
demand
growth,
“an
indicator
that
the
age
of
electricity
is
not
just
emerging
but
is
shaping
a
new
global
energy
system,”
EI
said.
Wayth
predicted
that
solar
power
generation
—
which
soared
nearly
28
percent
in
2024
—
would
surpass
wind
power
in
2025
or
2026,
provided
growth
trajectories
continue
on
their
present
course,
The
Times
reported.
Global
carbon
dioxide-equivalent
energy
emissions
rose
by
one
percent
last
year,
reaching
record
levels
for
the
fourth
year
in
a
row,
EI
said.
“This
year’s
data
reflects
a
complex
picture
of
the
global
energy
transition.
Electrification
is
accelerating,
particularly
across
developing
economies
where
access
to
modern
energy
is
expanding
rapidly.
However,
the
pace
of
renewable
deployment
continues
to
be
outstripped
by
overall
demand
growth,
60%
of
which
was
met
by
fossil
fuels.
The
result
is
a
fourth
consecutive
year
of
record
emissions,
highlighting
the
structural
challenges
in
aligning
global
energy
consumption
with
climate
goals,”
said
President
of
the
Energy
Institute
Andy
Brown
in
the
press
release.
Dr.
Romain
Debarre,
partner
and
managing
director
of
nonprofit
the
Energy
Transition
Institute,
said
rising
geopolitical
tensions
in
2024
marked
a
turning
point
for
energy
worldwide.
“Energy
security,
resource
access,
and
technological
sovereignty
are
now
taking
priority
over
climate
goals,”
Debarre
said
in
the
press
release.
“We
are
witnessing
the
real
dangers
of
regional
differences
and
the
cost
of
inaction
in
real
time.
Record-high
GHG
emissions
and
soaring
temperatures
in
2024
are
a
deafening
wake-up
call.
We
have
the
strategies,
technologies,
and
know-how
to
deliver
the
energy
transition
with
an
integrated,
secure,
and
people-centred
approach.
Now,
we
must
move
from
promises
to
action,
at
scale
and
at
speed.”
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