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Energy system
Wind
Wind has significant potential to boost growth in global renewable capacity
Electricity generation from renewables is expected to increase by 60% through 2030 – rising from 9 900 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024 to 16 200 TWh by the end of the decade. Wind accounts for almost a third of growth, second only to solar PV, which accounts for 60%.
Although wind power continues to face supply chain issues, rising costs and permitting delays today, global capacity is still expected to nearly double to over 2 000 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 as both advanced and developing economies tackle these barriers.
Around…
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Energy system
CO2 Capture and Utilisation
Country and regional highlights
CCUS and synthetic fuel policies are being strengthened in the United States and Europe
CO2 emissions
CO2 use can bring important climate benefits, but with caveats
Activity
CO2 use for synthetic fuels remains the leading new utilisation route
Technology installation and infrastructure
CCU supply chains can benefit from synergies with fossil-based synthetic fuel production and CCS
Innovation
Policy
Investment
Venture capital investment in CCU continues to grow
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Energy system
Solar PV
Solar PV continues to dominate global renewables growth, though at a slower rate
Recent policy changes are expected to affect the pace at which solar PV capacity is added annually through the end of this decade. Even so, low costs, faster permitting and broad social acceptance are set to continue to drive the accelerating adoption of solar PV. As a result, capacity is set to more than double between 2025 and 2030 compared with the 2019 to 2024 period.
A growing share of variable renewable sources such as solar also comes with challenges. Curtailment levels and instances of negative electricity…
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Energy system
Trucks and Buses
…Chile, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.
Sales of electric trucks increased 35% in 2023 compared to 2022, meaning that total sales of electric trucks surpassed electric buses for the first time, reaching around 54 000. China is the leading market for electric trucks, accounting for 70% of global sales in 2023, down from 85% in 2022. In Europe, electric truck sales increased almost threefold in 2023 to reach more than 10 000 (>1.5% sales share). The United States also saw a threefold increase, though electric truck sales reached just 1 200, less than 0.1% of total…
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Energy system
Cars and Vans
More stringent and broader coverage of fuel efficiency standards for light-duty vehicles is needed
For cars and vans, increasing fuel efficiency standards is important as even in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, nearly 80% of cars and vans on the road in 2030 are still powered with internal combustion engines. Sales of heavier, less efficient SUVs reached around 46% of global sales in 2022, while electric vehicles were just 14% of sales. More and more countries are formulating vehicle efficiency standards and some are even putting in place zero-emission vehicle sales requirements. To be in line…
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Energy system
Smart Grids
Country and regional highlights
Several major economies have announced substantial new funding to modernise and digitalise their electricity grids
Deployment
Clean, reliable and resilient electricity systems need smart grids more than ever
Innovation
Digital infrastructure in electricity grids is growing
Investment
Investment in electricity grids is growing, with more ambitious network plans to facilitate the electrification of the economy and the integration of renewables
International collaboration
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Energy system
Coal
Global coal demand to remain on a plateau in 2025 and 2026
Despite unusual trends across several major markets in the first half of 2025, global coal demand is likely to remain broadly unchanged to 2027 as underlying structural drivers of the world’s coal use remain stable.
Global coal demand increased to a new all-time high in 2024 of around 8.8 billion tonnes, up 1.5% from 2023, as rising consumption in China, India, Indonesia and other emerging economies more than offset declines in advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. However, several of those…
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Energy system
Biofuels
Country and regional highlights
The United States Inflation Reduction Act makes USD 9.4 billion available for biofuels
Energy
Biofuel demand increased by 6% in 2022, continuing the recent pace of growth
Technology deployment
Biofuel production technology needs to diversify to sustainably take advantage of existing waste and residue feedstocks
Innovation
Technologies that can convert woody feedstocks into biofuels need to be proven at scale in the next few years
Supporting infrastructure
Policy
Investment
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Energy system
Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
Country and regional highlights
The United States launches a first-of-its-kind purchasing programme for CDR, while funding support and certification efforts emerge in Europe
CO2 capture
Despite increasing awareness around the importance of BECCS for reaching net zero, deployment remains low
Technology installation and infrastructure
Lead times for BECCS projects depend heavily on the application and destination of the CO2
Innovation
Policy
Investment
Investment in BECCS is growing across applications