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Aviation
Country and regional highlights
Political agreement on net zero targets for aviation has been complemented by fiscal and regulatory policies to promote sustainable aviation fuels
CO2 emissions
CO2 emissions from aviation have reached 90% of their pre-Covid-19 peak
Energy
Improvements in energy intensity have not been sufficient to counterbalance energy demand growth in recent years
Activity
Passenger activity has nearly closed the gap with pre-Covid levels
Technology deployment
Innovation
Policy
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Hydrogen
Low-emissions hydrogen projects are set to grow strongly despite wave of cancellations and persistent challenges
Worldwide hydrogen demand increased to almost 100 million tonnes in 2024, up 2% from 2023 and in line with overall energy demand growth. The vast majority of this was met by hydrogen produced from fossil fuels without measures in place to capture associated emissions. Sectors that have traditionally used hydrogen, such as oil refining and industry, remained the biggest consumers.
The uptake of low-emissions hydrogen is not yet meeting the expectations set by industry and governments in recent years, especially in light of…
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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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Electrification
Country and regional highlights
Electrification gains momentum across countries and sectors
CO2 emissions
In the Net Zero by 2050 Scenario, from now to 2030 most electrification-related emission reductions occur in transport
Energy
The share of electricity in energy demand will need to increase by 4% per year to get on track with the Net Zero by 2050 Scenario
Technology deployment
New cars and new houses are the main areas for deployment of electrification technologies
Policy
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Appliances and Equipment
Standards and labelling can lift the average rate of energy efficiency improvement by two to three times
Based on global evidence from countries with Energy efficiency standards and labelling (EES&L) programmes, the average energy efficiency of new major appliances in these countries can increase two to three times the underlying rate of technology improvement. This can result in average energy reductions of 10-30% over 15 to 20 years in the stock of most regulated products across all countries.
In leading countries with strong regulations and long-running programmes which are regularly updated, the contribution could be much higher…
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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
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Renewable Integration
Renewable Integration
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Lighting
Country and regional highlights
Prominent progress in increasing standards and labels for lighting
CO2 emissions
CO2 emissions by lighting increased marginally in 2022, despite increased uptake of efficient lamps
Energy
Increased energy demand for service lighting more than offset a drop in residential lighting in 2022
Activity
Increasing building space and population is driving additional demand for lighting
Technology deployment
LED is now the leading lighting technology in homes
Innovation
Policy
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Light Industry
Country and regional highlights
Important investment programmes are being deployed to push energy efficiency and decarbonisation in light industries
CO2 emissions
While light-industry emissions have declined since 2010, a more rapid decline is needed to get on track with the NZE Scenario
Energy
The share of fossil fuel use is declining, but progress needs to accelerate
Technology deployment
Firms should prioritise technologies for low-emission process heat and increased energy efficiency
Innovation
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Data Centres and Data Transmission Networks
CO2 emissions
Data centres and data transmission networks are responsible for 1% of energy-related GHG emissions
Energy
Strong efficiency improvements have helped to limit growth in energy demand from data centres globally
Activity
Emerging services and technologies such as streaming, cloud gaming, blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning and virtual reality are poised to boost demand for data services
Renewable energy
Policy
Private sector initiatives
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