Climate and Electricity Annual 2011
Data and Analyses
Electricity use is growing worldwide, providing a range of energy services: lighting,
heating and cooling, specific industrial uses, entertainment, information technologies,
and mobility. Because its generation remains largely based on fossil fuels, electricity
is also the largest and the fastest-growing source of energy-related CO2 emissions,
the primary cause of human-induced climate change. Forecasts from the IEA and others
show that “decarbonising” electricity and enhancing end-use efficiency can make major
contributions to the fight against climate change.
Global and regional trends on electricity supply and demand indicate the magnitude
of the decarbonisation challenge ahead. As climate concerns become an essential component
of energy policy-making, the generation and use of electricity will be subject to
increasingly strong policy actions by governments to reduce their associated CO2 emissions.
Despite these actions, and despite very rapid growth in renewable energy generation,
significant technology and policy challenges remain if this unprecedented essential
transition is to be achieved.
The IEA Climate and Electricity Annual
2011 provides an authoritative resource on progress to date in this area, with statistics
related to CO2 and the electricity sector across ten regions of the world. It also
presents topical analyses on meeting the challenge of rapidly curbing CO2 emissions
from electricity, from both a policy and technology perspective.
Published on May 26, 2011