Global electricity demand is projected to surge 3.6% annually through the decade, driven by industry, EVs, air conditioning, and data centers, a new report found.
Yet despite this boom in the “age of electricity,” emissions should remain relatively flat thanks to renewable progress, according to the International Energy Agency. Green electricity generation, led by record solar deployment, is overtaking coal-fired power globally after the two reached near parity in 2025. Nuclear output also hit a new record, and together with renewables, these sources are expected to supply half of global electricity by 2030.
On the fossil fuel side, while coal use declined in India and China, it ticked up in the US due to higher natural gas prices and the Trump administration’s push to delay coal plant retirements to meet surging data center demand — expected to drive about half of US power demand growth this decade. Still, if planned closures proceed, US coal use should resume its decline. One of the biggest challenges facing most economies, however, is grid connectivity. Record-high connection queues from congested grids threaten to stymie electricity output even when demand and generation capacity exist.
