Oraquel » The global demand for energy is increasing, will the demand be met by renewable energy sources and nuclear energy??

By 2025, the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix will increase to 35%, and the production of nuclear energy will increase by 4%. The development of renewable energy and nuclear energy will make it possible to cover the increase in global demand for electricity, says the IEA.

Growth in global electricity demand is expected to accelerate to an average of 3% over the next three years. As the analyzes of the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicate, the demand for additional kilowatt hours will be almost entirely covered by renewable energy sources and nuclear energ

35% renewables in the global energy mix.

According to the latest IEA analysis "Electricity Market Report 2023", low-emission sources are expected to cover nearly 90% of the total projected increase in global electricity demand in 2023-2025. The IEA predicts that China will be responsible for more than 45% of the increase in renewable energy production. The European Union is responsible for 15% of the production increase.

The increasing importance of renewable energy will be reflected in the global energy mix. From the current 29% (data for 2022), the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix will increase to 35% in 2025.

Nuclear energy production will increase by 4%.

The IEA further predicts that by 2025, as a result of the expected revival of nuclear production in France, where more and more power plants are completing scheduled maintenance, and the start of production at new power plants in the Asian region, global nuclear energy production will increase by almost 4% on average. - This means that in each year through 2025, approximately 100 TWh of additional electricity will be generated at nuclear power plants, equivalent to approximately one-eighth of current U.S. nuclear power generation - it added.

According to the IEA, the energy crisis we are currently facing is responsible for the increase in the share of nuclear energy in global energy production. - Discussions have resumed in Europe and the United States about the future role of nuclear energy in the energy mix. At the same time, accelerated development of nuclear power plants is already observed in other parts of the world, it was explained.

By 2025, more than half of the growth in global nuclear energy production will come from just four countries: China, India, Japan and Korea.

Record CO2 emissions from energy in the EU!

IEA data for 2022 shows that while 2022 saw a decline in the CO2 emission intensity of global energy production, in the EU, CO2 emissions from electricity generation reached record levels last year. Analyzes also indicate that on a global scale, emissions from the energy sector will remain at a similar level until 2025. - In the period 2023-2025, lower emissions in regions such as Europe and the Americas (each decrease by an average of 70 Mt/year) partly will offset the significant growth in the Asia-Pacific region (an increase of 100 Mt/year on average) (…). In 2025, the CO2 emission intensity of global electricity production will be 417 g CO2/kWh, which means a decrease of 3% on average each year until 2025, the report says.

In the case of the EU, with the expansion of renewable energy sources and the decline in the supply of coal and gas in the energy sector, CO2 emissions are expected to decline by 28% by 2025.

Extreme weather events – the need for security of supply and resilience.

The authors of the report drew attention to the weather-dependence of renewable energy sources and the resulting risks to energy security. In this context, it was recalled that in 2022 Europe will experience "the worst drought in 500 years". - Italy has recorded a record decline in hydropower production, recording in February-April 2022 the lowest hydropower production in the past two decades. Hydropower consumption in Italy decreased by over 30% compared to the averages from 2017-2021, a similar situation occurred in Spain and France, where decreases of 29% and 20% respectively were recorded.

It added that this situation highlighted the impact of changing climate patterns on energy systems - low hydropower production placed additional strain on the existing conventional fleet and increased the already high costs of electricity. The authors of the report point out that in a world where both demand and supply of electricity increasingly depend on meteorological conditions, the security of electricity requires greater attention.