Low-Carbon Power: Monitor the Transition to Low Carbon Energy

Q: What are the largest sources of low-carbon power?

16.8% of global electricity is generated from Hydropower, 10.1% of global electricity is generated from Nuclear, 6.2% of global electricity is generated from Wind, 3.3% of global electricity is generated from Solar, 2.3% of global electricity is generated from Biofuels, 0.3% of global electricity is generated from Geothermal.

39% of the global electricity supply is generated from low-carbon energy sources.

What are the largest sources of low-carbon power?

Hydropower
16.8% of global electricity is generated from Hydropower
Nuclear
10.1% of global electricity is generated from Nuclear
Wind
6.2% of global electricity is generated from Wind
Solar
3.3% of global electricity is generated from Solar
Biofuels
2.3% of global electricity is generated from Biofuels
Geothermal
0.3% of global electricity is generated from Geothermal

What is low-carbon power?

Low-carbon power comes from processes or technologies that produce electricity with relatively low amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Here is a list of major energy sources and their estimated lifecycle emissions. Where do our emissions numbers come from?

Wind	11 gCO2eq / kWh	Low-carbon
Nuclear	12 gCO2eq / kWh	Low-carbon
Hydropower	24 gCO2eq / kWh	Low-carbon
Geothermal	38 gCO2eq / kWh	Low-carbon
Solar	45 gCO2eq / kWh	Low-carbon
Biofuels	230 gCO2eq / kWh	Low-carbon
Gas	490 gCO2eq / kWh	High-carbon / fossil fuel
Oil	650 gCO2eq / kWh	High-carbon / fossil fuel
Coal	820 gCO2eq / kWh	High-carbon / fossil fuel

How much of global electricity comes from low-carbon energy sources?

39% of the global electricity supply is generated from low-carbon energy sources. Learn more at our World energy page.

Which countries have most successfully decarbonized their electricity generation?

There are 16 countries which already get 90% or more of their electricity from low-carbon sources. Do you know which ones? Check out our low-carbon ranking.

Which countries use the most electricity?

These are the 12 countries that use the most electricity in the world. As you can see the share of electricity that comes from low-carbon sources varies widely, from less than 1% to 90%.

What is the historic development?

39% of electricity worldwide is generated from low-carbon sources. 30 years ago, the ratio was almost exactly the same. However, while the overall number has stayed almost exactly the same, some countries have made major improvements while others have become more reliant on fossil fuels for power generation. On our chart page you can visualize all countries/regions as well as energy sources. Here is a sample:

Look up other countries and regions

Our data covers 214 countries and regions. Use the menu below to look up the profile of any country/region. You can also use the search function in the top-right corner.