Key Research: The Global Electricity Review
Coal fell 3% in 2019
Tracking electricity data
We’re power sector experts who gather, curate and analyse data to empower climate campaign organisations.
Our data & analysis helps to shape the global narrative on coal.
Changing policy
We use our data and analysis to support high impact, politically viable policies that accelerate the coal phase-out.
For example, read our new report on the policy lessons from closing coal in Europe:
Research highlights
Just Transition or Just Talk? 2020
Just Transition Fund set to benefit climate laggards
Published September 2020. Click here for more details:
- To meet the commitments made under the Paris agreement, the EU should phase-out coal by 2030.
- On current plans, there would still be 52 GW of installed coal capacity in the EU in 2030, nearly all (~90%) of which is in Czechia, Germany and Poland.
Playing with fire
Assessing company plans to burn biomass in EU coal power stations
Published Dec 2019. Click here for more details
- Proposed EU coal-to-biomass projects could increase biomass consumption by the equivalent of five new Drax power stations.
- 36 million tonnes (MT) of wood pellets would be needed, similar to current global wood pellet production.
- These projects would produce just 64 TWh of electricity, less than 2% of the EU’s electricity production. In comparison, every year Europe adds an equivalent amount of new wind and solar capacity.
The path of least resistance
Electricity generated from coal is leaking into the EU
Published Jan 2020. Click here for more details:
EU countries are increasingly importing ‘tax-free electricity’ from outside the EU
‘Offshore carbon havens’ are building coal plants to meet EU power demand
Commentary
China’s growing appetite for coal-intensive steel, aluminium, cement and electricity puts it out of sync with falling global coal use.
Strong performance in zero carbon electricity in Europe during October has forced down fossil fuel generation, with renewables once again overtaking fossil fuels as the main power source for Europe.
In the next decade renewables are set to double and coal power to halve - but seven countries will cause the EU to miss its emissions targets.
We explore why over-reliance on BECCS undermines the credibility of National Grid’s pathways to reaching net-zero.
