Updated August 2023 – improved appearance of chart 1.
Annual shares
Trends
By share
Chart 4 below shows the trends of global electricity generation by share in detail. The share of low carbon fuels (nuclear, hydro, wind & solar) peaked at 36% in 1995, coinciding with COP12.
Over the following 17 years, from 1996 to 2012, fossil fuels gained share, mainly due to the increased share of gas and the declining share of nuclear and hydro. As wind and solar then became significant, this trend reversed. Despite this, and the hosting of twenty seven UN climate conferences, the share of electricity generation by low carbon fuels in 2022 was only roughly equivalent to the peak in 1995.