Global energy is becoming more sustainable but carbon emissions are continuing to grow, according to BP’s 69 th annual edition of the BP Statistical Review of World Energ y.
Global energy is becoming more sustainable but carbon emissions are continuing to grow, according to BP’s 69th annual edition of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy.
This study – which collected and analysed energy data for 2019 – demonstrates that renewables contributed their largest increase in energy terms on record (3.2 exajoules). They accounted for more than 40% of the global growth in primary energy last year, more than any other fuel. Their share in global power generation (10.4%) also surpassed nuclear for the first time.
Oil consumption grew by a below-average 0.9 million barrels per day (b/d), or 0.9%, while demand for all liquid fuels, including biofuels, topped 100 million b/d for the first time.
Primary energy consumption growth slowed to 1.3% last year, less than half the rate of growth in 2018 (2.8%). Carbon emissions from energy use grew by 0.5% in 2019, only partly rowing back the unusually strong growth of 2.1% seen in 2018. Average annual growth in carbon emissions over 2018 and 2019 was greater than its 10-year average.
Natural gas consumption increased by 2%, well below the exceptional growth seen in 2018, but its share of primary energy still hit a record high (24.2%). Natural gas production rose by 3.4%, buoyed by a record increase in liquefied natural gas exports (54 billion m3).
Coal’s share of primary energy fell to its lowest level in 16 years (27%), after consumption fell by 0.6%, led by a sharp drop in OECD demand. However, coal remained the single largest source of energy for power generation, accounting for more than 36% of global power.
Growth in primary energy consumption slowed to 1.3% in 2019, less than half the rate of growth the previous year (2.8%). China accounted for more than three quarters of net global energy growth, while the US and Germany posted the largest declines.
BP CEO Bernard Looney said: ‘Some aspects are encouraging – particularly the continuing strong growth of renewable energy. Led by wind and solar power, renewable energy increased by a record amount, accounting for over 40% of the growth in primary energy in 2019. At the same time, coal consumption fell for the fourth time in the past six years, with its share in the global energy mix falling to its lowest level for 16 years.
‘But other aspects of the energy system continued to give cause for concern. Despite last year’s decline, coal was still the single largest source of power generation, accounting for over 36% of global power.
‘That compares with just 10% provided by renewable energy. Renewables will need to grow even more strongly over the next three decades to decarbonize the power sector. More worrying is the trend for carbon emissions. The slowing in the growth of carbon emissions to 0.5% in 2019 might suggest some grounds for optimism. But this deceleration needs to be seen in the context of the big increase in carbon emissions in 2018 of 2.1%. The hope was that as the one-off factors boosting carbon emissions in 2018 unwound, carbon emissions would fall significantly. That fall did not happen. The average annual growth in carbon emissions over 2018 and 2019 was greater than its 10-year average. As the world emerges from the Covid-19 crisis it needs to make decisive changes to move to a more sustainable path.’
