The raw energy resources include for example coal, unprocessed oil & gas, uranium.
Energy production and consumption play a significant role in the global economy.
[6][7] Two key problems with energy production and consumption are greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution.
This measurement difference can lead to underestimating the economic contribution of renewable energy.
The 2021 world total energy production of 14,800 MToe corresponds to a little over 172 PWh / year, or about 19.6 TW of power generation.
Energy resources must be processed in order to make it suitable for final consumption.
The table lists countries with large difference of export and import in 2021, expressed in Mtoe.
Total energy supply (TES) indicates the sum of production and imports subtracting exports and storage changes.
[19] For the whole world TES nearly equals primary energy PE because imports and exports cancel out, but for countries TES and PE differ in quantity, and also in quality as secondary energy is involved, e.g., import of an oil refinery product.
In fact, the loss in thermal plants is due to poor conversion of chemical energy of fuel to electricity by combustion.
The tables list amounts, expressed in million tonnes of oil equivalent per year (1 Mtoe = 11.63 TWh) and how much of these is renewable energy.
[21] The organization Enerdata on the other hand publishes a free Yearbook, making the data more accessible.
[30]: 13 In World Energy Outlook 2023 the IEA notes that "We are on track to see all fossil fuels peak before 2030".
[31]: 18 The IEA presents three scenarios:[31]: 17 The IEA's "Electricity 2024" report details a 2.2% growth in global electricity demand for 2023, forecasting an annual increase of 3.4% through 2026, with notable contributions from emerging economies like China and India, despite a slump in advanced economies due to economic and inflationary pressures.
[32] The report underscores the significant impact of data centers, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, projecting a potential doubling of electricity consumption to 1,000 TWh by 2026, which is on par with Japan's current usage.
In the United States, a decrease was seen in 2023, but a moderate rise is anticipated in the coming years, largely fueled by data centers.
[32] The goal set in the Paris Agreement to limit climate change will be difficult to achieve.
[33] Various scenarios for achieving the Paris Climate Agreement Goals have been developed, using IEA data but proposing transition to nearly 100% renewables by mid-century, along with steps such as reforestation.
[34] The researchers say the costs will be far less than the $5 trillion per year governments currently spend subsidizing the fossil fuel industries responsible for climate change.
5 Global electricity generation from renewable energy sources will reach 88% by 2040 and 100% by 2050 in the alternative scenarios.
Passenger car use must decrease in the OECD countries (but increase in developing world regions) after 2020.
The passenger car use decline will be partly compensated by strong increase in public transport rail and bus systems.