Context:
According to the “Global Electricity Review” by the international energy analytics agency Ember, India overtook Japan to become the world’s third-highest producer of solar power in 2023.
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- India overtakes Japan by generating 113 billion units (BU) of solar power in 2023 compared to Japan’s 110 BU.
- In terms of installed power capacity, which includes sources of renewable and non-renewable energy, India at 73 gigawatts (1 GW is one billion watts) ranks fifth in the world while Japan is in third place (83 GW).
- Power demand in Japan decreased by 2% (2 BU) in 2023 after rising in 2021 and 2022, thus allowing India to overtake Japan.
- Further, in order to surpass the next country – the United States (228 BU) which is in the second spot – India will require to more than double its current solar production.
- The leading producer of solar power in the world is China which produced 584 BU of solar power in 2024 – more than the next four countries combined (the United States, Japan, Germany and India).
- Global solar generation in 2023 was more than six times larger than in 2015, while in India it was 17 times higher. The share of solar generation increased from 0.5% of India’s electricity in 2015 to 5.8% in 2023.
- India stands among the select few nations committed to tripling renewable capacity by 2030.
About Ember
- It is an independent energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy.
- Founded in 2008 as Sandbag to reform the European Union carbon market, it was re-branded as Ember in 2020, thus marking new global reach and laser focus on accelerating the electricity transition.
- Headquarters: London, U.K.
Global Scenario
- Globally, renewable sources of energy make up 30% of global electricity produced.
- Ember forecasts fossil fuel generation to drop in 2024 and the trend to continue in other years, suggesting that 2023 might be the year when fossil fuel production may have “peaked” globally.
- Solar maintained its status as the world’s fastest-growing electricity source for the 19th consecutive year, adding more than twice as much new electricity worldwide as coal in 2023.
- Solar power produced a record 5.5% of global electricity in 2023.
Significance
- Increasing clean electricity isn’t just for reducing carbon emissions in the power sector. It’s also needed to meet the rising electricity demand in an increasingly electrified economy and decoupling economic growth from emissions.
- Tripling the global renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency is crucial to limiting the average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.