Air conditioning, artificial intelligence and other energy eaters meant that the global energy demand increased last year at an above -average pace. Additional demand was balanced mainly by solar and nuclear energy – announced the International Energy Agency (Mae) in Paris. The demand for fossil fuels, however, also remains high, especially on gas.
Air conditioning as a “climate killer”?
Energy demand increased primarily due to the demand for electricity, which increased by 4.3 percent compared to the previous year. This increase is therefore almost twice as high than the average of the last ten years.
One of the main reasons for the increase in demand of Fr. 1,100 terawatt hour is the use of air conditioning systemsmainly because of the extreme heat in India and China. More and more people are buying such devices in an increasingly hotter global climate.
Emerging and developing countries were responsible for over four fifth of ruthless energy increase. According to Mae, a lot of electricity also went to systems artificial intelligencedata centers and more and more frequently powered means of transport.
The demand for nuclear energy returns
According to Claudia Kemfert, an energy economist at the German Economic Research Institute (DIW), countries must do everything in their power to ensure the effectiveness of using air conditioning systems and artificial intelligence.
“The costs of renewable energy sources are still falling, which means that additional demand for electricity can be covered by cheaper renewable energy electric ” – she said. Germany must also focus on the expansion of renewable energy. According to the expert, nuclear energy is expensive and risky, which is why it is not an alternative.
However, nuclear energy experiences something like a Renaissance around the world: six new nuclear power plants have been completed, including two in China alone. The newly installed power around the world was therefore a third higher than in the previous year. Three G7 countries – USAGreat Britain and France – also increased their production capacity. Germany withdrew from nuclear energy.
The demand for coal and oil is growing – but slower
The demand for coalthough slower – as in previous years. Carbon is mainly used to generate electricity. According to Mae estimates, a small increase in this area – by 1.1 percent – can be fully attributed to the heat waves in Asia, which increased the demand for cooling the rooms.
Increase for oil He was even weaker, partly due to the developing trend of using electric cars. In China, which has long been the main driving force of oil demand, the demand for petroleum fuel actually fell in 2024.
Records for renewable energy and gas sources
No other source has increased power as renewable energy sources, responsible for over a third of growth. Solar energy is far away, but wind and water production also increased.
China is once again running in the race: Most of the renewable energy installed power was connected to the network last year in this country. Power also increased significantly in the EU and the USA. “Strong expansion of solar, wind, nuclear energy and electric vehicles breaks the relationship between economic growth and emissions,” said executive director Fatih Birol.
As in the case of renewable energy sources, the demand for natural gas reached a record level. On the one hand, because in many countries it is used instead of oil to produce electricity. Secondly, because the demand in the industry is growing, including in the European Union. The demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is also desirable in Germany, will probably continue to grow – informs Mea.
(DPA/STEF)
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle