Fuel shares in power generation
The transition towards a lower carbon fuel mix is set to continue
What it shows
BP’s chief economist Spencer Dale has highlighted what he has called the most striking chart in the whole of this year's Statistical Review of World Energy 2018. It shows the trends in the power sector fuel mix over the past 20 years. It reveals how, despite the growth in renewables, coal features just as heavily today as it did two decades ago and the share of non-fossil in 2017 is actually a little lower than it was then.
Why it matters
The power sector absorbs more primary energy than any other sector and accounts for more than a third of carbon emissions from energy consumption - so coal-to-gas switching really matters for the energy transition.
Spencer Dale says:
"I hadn’t realised that so little progress had been made until I looked at these data.To have any chance of getting on a path consistent with meeting the Paris climate goals there will need to be significant improvements in the power sector."
