Global Electrification in figures
Electrification has reached a historic turning point. While global demand for electricity, driven by AI, e-mobility and growing emerging economies, is rising rapidly, renewable energy sources are already overtaking fossil fuel-based electricity generation involving coal. But green energy alone will not suffice: In order to integrate the increase in energy from wind and solar safely into the grids, storage capacities must be massively expanded.
We highlight key facts about global electrification, broken down into three dimensions: Generation, storage and consumption.
Sources and data: International Energy Agency (IEA), weforum.org
Produce
A historic turning point in the electricity mix: The tremendous growth in renewables is overtaking fossil fuels and is systematically pushing back global coal-fired power generation for the first time in years.
Renewables are catching up: In 2025, global electricity generation from renewable energy sources was, for the first time, virtually on a par with the output from coal-fired power stations.
Solar power is breaking all the records: Photovoltaics recorded the largest increase ever recorded in electricity generation in 2025, with a rise of 600 TWh (55 per cent of which was in China alone).
Coal is on the decline: Global coal-fired power generation was down by 0.5 per cent in 2025. For the first time in 50 years, the leading coal-producing nations, China and India, are both recording declines.
Europe as a pioneer: In the EU, solar and wind power accounted for 30 per cent of the total in 2025, thereby exceeding the share of fossil fuels for the first time.
Storage
Batteries are the bottleneck in the energy supply: Unless global storage capacity increases sixfold by 2030, the boom in renewables cannot be integrated into the grids.
A massive need for expansion: In order to meet the Paris climate target (1.5 °C) and triple the share of renewable energy, global energy storage capacity must be ramped up sixfold to 1,500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.
Electric cars as mobile buffer storage: Over 90 per cent of the battery capacity produced globally in 2023 was for vehicles (approx. 750 GWh). By 2030, it could be sufficient to use just 5 per cent of the world’s electric car batteries for smart charging and discharging (Vehicle-to-Grid) in order to provide 600 GW of flexible capacity.
Technical pace: From a purely structural point of view, battery storage facilities can be built at almost any location in just a few months. However, in order to bring this tremendous pace to the roads, approval processes and grid connections would need to be speeded up.
Consumption
The world has entered the age of electricity: Demand for electricity is growing more than twice as fast as overall energy demand. Driven by e-mobility, AI and the huge demand from emerging markets.
Data centres as growth drivers: Electric cars (+38 per cent) and data centres (+17 per cent) are experiencing the most rapid growth. In the USA, the AI/ data centre sector is already responsible for 50 per cent of the total growth in electricity demand.
The AI paradox: While artificial intelligence helps to reduce emissions by up to 20 per cent, it is a major devourer of energy itself. By 2026, electricity consumption by data centres and cryptocurrencies could double to over 1,000 TWh.
Demand shifting eastwards: By the year 2050, 70 per cent of the additional electricity demand will arise in emerging and developing countries. By then, India alone will rise to become the world’s third-largest electricity consumer.
