Paper: GS – III, Subject: Environment and Ecology, Topic: Climate Change – Global Efforts, Issue: Energy Electrification: The Key Challenge in Achieving Climate Targets.
Context:
The world cannot meet its climate targets only by building more solar and wind power plants. Fossil fuels are still directly used in transport, industries, cooking and heating, while electricity meets only about 21% of global final energy demand. Climate action therefore requires both wider electrification and cleaner electricity generation.
Key Takeaways:
Background:
- Electrification means replacing the direct use of coal, oil and gas with electricity, such as replacing petrol cars with electric vehicles.
- Final energy consumption refers to the energy directly used by households, industries, transport and other consumers.
- Solar, wind, hydropower and nuclear energy mainly supply electricity; therefore, their benefits cannot reach the entire economy without electrification.
- Electricity’s share in global final energy consumption increased slowly from 17.7% in 2015 to about 21% in 2025.
- A proposal discussed at the Bonn climate meeting seeks to raise this share to 35% by 2035.
Explanation:
Core Issue:
- The main problem is that the world uses too little electricity, and a large part of the electricity currently generated still comes from fossil fuels.
- Therefore, electrification alone does not automatically reduce emissions. Electricity must also be produced from clean sources.
- Example: Replacing a petrol car with an electric vehicle reduces petrol use. However, if the electricity used to charge the vehicle comes mainly from a coal-fired power plant, emissions are partly shifted from the car’s exhaust to the power plant. The real climate benefit becomes much greater when the vehicle is charged using solar, wind, hydropower or nuclear electricity.
Why Electrification Is Necessary:
- Renewable sources mainly generate electricity, while much of the world’s energy is still consumed directly as petrol, diesel, coal, natural gas or firewood.
- Transport, household heating and several industrial processes must therefore shift towards electric vehicles, electric public transport, heat pumps and electric machinery.
- Electric technologies are often more efficient than fossil-fuel alternatives and can reduce both energy use and urban pollution.
Reality Check:
- Non-fossil sources provided about 42.59% of global electricity in 2025, up from 33.57% in 2015.
- However, electricity accounted for only about 21% of final energy consumption.
- Thus, clean electricity supplied only a little over 8% of the world’s total final energy needs, showing the large gap between renewable-power growth and economy-wide decarbonisation.
Major Difficulties:
- Aviation, shipping, long-distance trucks and high-temperature industries such as steel, cement, glass and ceramics are difficult to electrify.
- Rapid electrification requires major expansion of renewable power, transmission grids, distribution systems, charging facilities and battery storage.
- Solar and wind are variable, making storage and flexible grids necessary for continuous supply.
- Achieving the 35% target may require around $1.2 trillion in annual investment.
- Wars, energy insecurity and rising fossil-fuel prices may push countries towards short-term fossil-fuel use instead of long-term clean investment.
Conclusion:
Electrification is the bridge through which renewable power can replace fossil fuels across the wider economy. However, electrification without cleaner power generation will provide limited climate benefits. Renewable energy, grids, storage and end-use electrification must therefore expand together.
Source: (The Indian Express)
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