The power sector is about to enter a “new era of falling fossil generation” as coal, oil and gas are pushed out of the grid by a record expansion of wind and solar power, according to new analysis by climate think tank Ember.  Wind and solar power reached a record 12% of global electricity generation last year, according to Ember’s global electricity review 2023. This drove up the overall share of low-carbon electricity to almost 40% of total generation. With even faster growth set to continue this year, Ember says 2022 is likely to mark a “turning point” when global fossil fuel electricity generation peaked and began to fall. The thinktank forecasts that, by the end of 2023, more than 100% of the  growth in electricity demand will be covered by low-carbon sources.  Experts broadly agree that global electricity generation needs to be completely decarbonised by 2040 if the world is to stay on track for its climate targets. Ember says rapidly expanding renewables mean that the “phasedown” of gas as well as coal power required for this transition is “now within reach”. However, it also says stalling nuclear and hydropower construction needs to be reversed. Global electricity demand has been rising for decades, due to rising populations, increasing industrialisation and higher incomes. Moreover, this trend is set to continue, particularly as more people switch their fossil fuel-driven cars and heaters to electric models. Demand will also increase as power is supplied to the 775 million people who still lack access to electricity.To date, electricity demand growth has generally outpaced the rapid expansion of low-carbon sources, meaning emissions from the power sector have continued to rise. Any shortfall in meeting growth with low-carbon sources has been met by fossil fuels. Yet low-carbon sources must ultimately begin to not only meet rising electricity demand but also start squeezing fossil fuels out of the mix, if global carbon targets are to be met. In 2022, the expansion of wind and solar met 80% of the increase in electricity demand, Ember’s report shows. Combined with hydropower and bioenergy, renewables met 92% of the rise, coming close to covering rising demand. At the same time, there was also a global drop in nuclear generation linked to outages in France and closures in Germany and Belgium. As a result, power sector emissions climbed once again in 2022.This year, however, Ember estimates that record growth in low-carbon power generation will cause fossil fuel output to dip by 0.3%. This “critical tipping point” can be seen in the chart....read on        https://www.carbonbrief.org/record-clean-power-growth-in-2023-to-spark-new-era-of-fossil-fuel-decline/?utm_source=cbnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2023-04-12&utm_campaign=Daily+Briefing+12+04+2023  READ MORE........Emissions from global electricity generation may have now peaked Madeleine Cuff, New Scientist